My Face To Face Encounter With A Deadly Beast

Have you ever found yourself face to face with a ferocious beast? I'm talking about a beast that could devour you for his between meal snack. One whose claws could cut you like a razor and whose teeth could rip your flesh from the bone. I had such an encounter yesterday. Believe it or not I found myself literally inches from the claws, jaws, and teeth of a ferocious lion. What's so amazing is that I stood there without an ounce of fear. Perhaps it was the power of God flowing through me, or maybe it was just that thick piece of glass that stood between me and that killer beast. Yep, it was at the zoo that I encountered this big cat.

I know, that little fact changes the dynamic of the story just a bit, but as I stood there glaring into the eyes of that creature I couldn't help but think how different this encounter would be had it happened in the wild. Truth is I would be toast. Checking the size of this lion's paws, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt one swipe from one of those is all it would take to bring me down.

But here, on this day there was no chance of that happening. As a matter of fact, the lion was actually laying down as I approached and before I left had fallen asleep. I couldn't help but think how boring this life must be for him. I don't know his story, but I do know that the wild animals you find at the zoo are often pets of private owners or have been found injured in the wild. Regardless of where they came from, the truth is zoo life was not the kind of life they were created for. It makes no difference how hard designers try to make the "cages" in the zoo represent the animals natural habitats. The fact is, they are still cages. So, here we have a wild, ferocious beast tamed, and bored out of his mind. He's got no antelope to stalk, chase and bring down. His biggest challenge is finding shade in the hot Houston heat. What a tragedy!

As I stood there gazing into this lion's eyes, I thought to myself I've seen that look a million times. Not in the eyes of a lion, but in the eyes of people I meet. Life has a way of taming us. It can strip us of our zeal and passion for living. It can reduce our life to little more than a routine. A series of events put together in a boring cycle that seldom deviates from the norm. Just like the lion, we can find ourself doing life in a way we were never created to live it. We were created for adventure. We were created to dream big and to strive to see those dreams come true. Scripture tells us that without vision, people perish. Can I say it another way? They become tame and bored. Their life becomes void of life.

Do you find yourself there right now? If so, determine to dream again. Determine to engage in life. Refuse to allow circumstances in life to steal your passion and zeal for life. Jesus came to give you abundant life. He came so that you could enjoy the life that you live. He longs for you to live life to it's fullest. Don't be like the lion whose life has been reduced to a meager existence. Engage in life like you never have before. Shoot for those dreams that have been on the back burner for years, engage in those relationships you hold dear, and determine to enjoy living your life.

I'm just wondering, what God can do with individuals who a fully alive? Men, women, boys and girls, who just refuse to be tamed by the world around them. I'm thinking the possibilities are endless.