Hungry Lions

There’s a fast-food restaurant chain in Zambia called Hungry Lion.  They’re famous for their chicken and chips (French fries), and they’re always busy — everywhere. It’s fast, it’s cheap, and it has gotten better over time. In the early days when you grabbed some Hungry Lion, you’d often get a fried gizzard, heart, or liver in your bag. But these days you receive more typical cuts; not that there’s anything wrong with a gizzard, here and there! 

When we started the Young Lions Running Team, we realized very quickly that we had some very hungry lions on our hands. I’ve said before that much of our ministry started at a table, sharing meals. Feeding four boys is one thing. Expanding to eighteen is entirely another! But we did and it has been a blast! 

Our daily meal was born out of great need. When we started running distances of 5K, 10K, and up, some of the boys just couldn’t hang. I was outrunning almost all of them, almost every time.  I was a consistent runner, but I knew I wasn’t that good. Something was wrong. I realized that many of our guys were not eating enough. Some were only getting one meal each day, maybe. So, we rectified the problem, and began our daily meal in Chifubu to be sure the lions were fueled and healthy. We often added post-run snacks too. Don’t tell any dietitians you know, but the lions’ favorite snack was a Hungarian sausage and a “John Cena” bun, named, in the Chifubu Market, for the package of bread rolls (pictured below) — a six-pack— that looks an awful lot like John Cena’s abs!

I’m so proud of one of our long-standing team members in Zambia named Charity Zulu. Everyone calls her Ba Maza because she is a like a mother to a whole community.  Five days a week, Charity hosts a meal at her home for our Young Lions, our Junior Lions, and for many of the kids that we serve as well.  She doesn’t only host. She purchases the supplies. She prepares the meals, and she cooks each meal too — and she’s an amazing cook. Charity feeds our lions to remind them that they are part of a family, that there is always enough, and that they have a God who loves and provides for them.  Daily mealtimes at Orchard are special.  We share lots of laughs and lots of joy as we enjoy delicious meals together. And we’ve expanded to feeding far more than just the original Young Lions.  

Food is fuel for activity. The more you do, work, exercise, run, expend, the hungrier you become! And when you’re really hungry, nothing can get in the way.

You’re on a mission!  Get food! 

In His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), Jesus promises that those who hunger for righteousness and justice will be satisfied. The Message translation says, “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up good appetite for God.” I believe this is a powerful spiritual truth to live by. You can have as much of God as you want. The hunger you have to grow into a spiritual powerhouse, will be satisfied. 

God is ready to answer our prayers. He’s willing to help us with our struggles. He’s available to provide what we need. But it requires a little hunger on our part. His love is free, but there are depths only the hungry uncover!

In a single meal, adult male lions can eat up to 15% of their body weight, which could be as much as 90 pounds of supper! Lions might not hunt again for several days or weeks, so they gorge themselves when they do. That…is hunger!

I often imagine the other animals out in the wild savanna know lions by their reputation; and that reputation is one of hunger. Not necessarily of starvation, but hunger to devour, to get some more and eat their fill.
Zebra, impala, Cape buffalo — they’ve all seen lions eat.

And it’s a sight to behold! 

What if we were known for our hunger for God? What if people knew us for the way we devoured His truth and His goodness? 

There’s a saying in Bemba that is a favorite of our Young Lions. It goes, “A ba chelwa, a lyama fupa.” And it means “Late comers eat bones!”

Don’t wait. Get it while it’s hot! Eat your fill. Chase down all the tasty, heavenly goodness you can get your paws on. Let’s all live with next level satisfaction because we’re so full of God’s power and grace.

Let’s live like hungry lions today!