The Roaring Lions

In 2007 my husband and I toured the Field Museum in Chicago, IL. We went for the purpose of seeing Sue the most complete T-Rex ever found. After spending some time with Sue we spent the remainder of our afternoon touring the rest of the museum. It was during the tour that we came across the exhibit of The Ghost and The Darkness.

In March of 1898, as Indian workers constructed the Kenya-Uganda railway bridge than spanned the Tsavo River in Kenya, they were stalked and eaten by two maneless Tsavo lions. The railway workers  tried everything to prevent the lions from dragging their fellow workers out of their tents and into the night. They set up guards, the lions just attacked them. They tried ringing their campsite with a fence of thorn bushes and bonfires. The lions dug through the bushes dragging the screaming worker into the night.

After several months of living in fear the workers fled the project. Lt. Colonel John Patterson set traps and tried unsuccessfully to capture the lions. After several months the first lion was shot on December 9, 1898. The second lion was killed 3 weeks later. The lions are attributed to the deaths of between 35 and 135 men. When the lion’s den was found it contained the skeletal remains of some of the victims.

In I Peter 5:8 we are told to Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Our enemy is just like these lions. We try to set up protection and he charges through seeking out our weaknesses. We have, in our culture, diminished the devil and his intents. We have made him a cartoon figure. Someone who appears on one shoulder when we are tempted. Someone whom is more mischievous than evil. Many movies have portrayed him as the seductive temptress or the scheming old man. But we should not fall prey to these images. The bible is clear Satan is a roaring lion seeking the utter destruction of your soul.

Think for a minute of the early church receiving this letter from Peter. Many may have witnessed friends or family members being devoured by the lions in the coliseum. If they had not seen it firsthand they certainly knew what was happening. And here Peter is telling them that the enemy of our souls wants to do the same thing.

In John 10:10 we are told that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I (Christ) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Again we are told that our enemy has one purpose: destruction. Fortunately for us we already have a skilled hunter of lions on our side. While we may fall into the temptations of Satan our souls cannot be destroyed by him as long as we have Christ as our Savior.

Our war with the enemy has already been won. We may still have the occasional battle. Satan knows he has lost. He is just trying to take out as many as he can. But do not be afraid. We serve a master Lion Hunter and he has his prey in sight.

Intimacy Born Out of Knowledge

When God created the world he created people for relationships. He created man and allowed him to realize his loneliness before he creates his perfect companion woman. We all have the God created need for intimacy and relationship.

I have found at times in my life when I have chosen isolation over relationships. There are two different ways I have isolated myself. The first being physical isolation. This is when I have chosen to separate myself from people. I have stayed home when invited to coffee. I have not returned phone calls, e-mails or texts. I have hidden in my closet to escape the closeness of the people around me. I have done this during times of intense sadness. My thought process during this time was that I didn’t want to burden those around me with my sadness. What I didn’t think about was that those around me wanted to walk with me, support me and love me. They didn’t feel burdened but honored to walk through these times with me.

The other way I have isolated myself is emotionally. For me this has been the most damaging. When I isolate myself this way I can be surrounded by people and even have what I consider to be close friends but I have only allowed  people to enter a small part of my life while keeping my emotions, dreams and secrets locked away. When I have isolated myself in this way I have felt more lonely than times of physical isolation.

In Genesis when Adam is presented with Eve it says they were naked and knew no shame.  They were not only physically naked but they had no secrets. They were not isolated from each other or from God.

Last year, around this time, My husband and I watched All About Steve. It’s a movie about a quirky crossword puzzle designer who falls for a man named Steve. During the movie, through a series of events, Sandra Bullock finds herself in the bottom of an abandoned mine. The area surrounding the mine quickly fills with all of the people whom she has touched by her life. When the movie was over I found myself crying. The reaction, I’m sure, was not what the creators of this comedy envisioned.

I had so isolated myself from others emotionally that I thought if I had fallen in that mine no one would have come to support my rescue. I felt completely alone. What I didn’t realize was I was entering a time in my life that was going to force me to choose isolation or relationships. Over the course of this last  year events have transpires that have brought me a place of learning about myself and my tendencies  to emotionally isolate. I have made different choices.

A year later I think back to that movie. I know now there are people around me who know me. They know my fears, dreams, struggles and victories. They support and encourage me when I am sad. They listen and empathies when I am angry. They celebrate when I am victorious. Our relationships are intimate because they know me. Intimacy is born out of knowledge. I know that if I fell into a mine, or whatever pitfalls will come my way, I have people who will support my rescue.

God created us to be in relationships with others. He created us to be known intimately by Him and those he puts into our lives. The enemy of our souls finds joy in our isolations. When we are isolated he can come along and exploit our weaknesses. He can convince us that isolation is good. But even in the beginning God said It is not good for man (or woman)to be alone. Don’t allow isolation to become a way of life. Surround yourself with relationships that encourage and support you. Let people see the real you. Then you will be living the life God intended.