Lion Living Takes Strength
I recently read a poem by my favorite poet, Edgar Albert Guest. He has so many poems about fatherhood and raising children; serving and family. His whole library is great! But this one was about silent heroism. About small acts, sometimes unseen by others, that made someone stand out. Here’s my favorite line:
There are brave men in the trenches, there are brave men on the sea,
but the silent, quiet heroes also prove their bravery.
That made me think of how Lion Living requires such strength.
It takes great commitment and discipline to rise every day to sharpen and improve. It takes great resolve to live as a person of character and congruence. It takes great courage to do something different than the crowd and the masses all around you. It takes great humility to go low and to serve others. And it takes great faith to trust in Jesus and to walk with him all your days. But the reward for the strong and the heroic and the lions is also great!
We are so proud of our Zambia team. They wake up every day and serve the community of Chifubu with great strength and great resolve; with great humility and great love. They gather with children repeatedly, creatively presenting the gospel. And every time the children come, they are welcomed with loving arms and great big smiles of joy.
They gather frequently to run together and suffer together and do long hard miles together and in doing so, they grow in self-discipline, accountability, and in brotherhood.
They gather to serve the hurting and to visit the homes of the broken; and they go to places that are hopeless in order to bring hope. They pray for others. They gather to eat together and to be a family. This lion family stands out in so many ways! And they gather to worship and lift the name of Jesus high. To bring him praise publicly, freely, and openly so that others might find what we’ve found – His love, forgiveness, and power!
Sure, our leaders are young. But they are strong. They’re trustworthy. They’re fun. Even the apostle Paul trusted great ministry to a young lion named Timothy because he knew there was a great strength inside him.
“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12 NLT
Pray for our lion leaders this week. Pray that as they live and model strong lives, they will reproduce that strength into or junior lions, and little lions!