Living the iconic "lionic" life

Recently a Guest minister in our church shared 2 things about a lion that I need to share with us. I'll start by laying a foundation...from the Word:

A lion's offspring is a cub=little lion. It may be little, nevertheless,  it's still a lion. It may not be able to do all a Papa or Mama lion can do (yet) but it is capable of doing all that and even more...

Timeless Turtle tips...

Besides the tale of the hare and the tortoise that taught us: Slow and steady wins the race.(Aesop (620 BC - 560 BC)), I've been looking for other lessons we can learn from tortoises/turtles. It was nice to find these and to break them out of their "shell":  

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.  

~    Oscar Wilde

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

~Steve Jobs

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.  ~Judy Garland

When you are living the best version of yourself, 

you inspire others to live the best versions of themselves.

~ Steve Maraboli

Watch the turtle. He only moves forward by sticking his neck out.

~ Lou Gerstner

Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise. 

~ Unknown

Life is inherently risky.
There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing. ~Denis Waitley

Don't be afraid to reach toward your dreams. Fear stops you only if you let it. 
Plan carefully for that first essential move- and then make it. ~ Unknown

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

~ Muhammad Ali

I have 2 take-aways from this set of turtle tips:

Be yourself - you're the only person who can be your best self.

Be willing to take risks and make every attempt to make progress in life.

The most important lesson for us:

You may be deemed "slow," but don't let that stop you from moving forward.

Remember the oldes Tortoise tip: "Slow and steady wins the race."

What are yours? Please share them with us. Happy end of July. God bless

1, 2, 3...fly

Life is always in flux. Sometimes I wish I could make time stop & I know I can't. So I turn my attention to how I can keep pace with all that's happening around me. Stopping or stepping away from the process of progression is not a solution. As someone once said: "Change is the new norm." (author unknown)

There is so much we can learn from the butterfly.

The 1st thing is to realize that until you are ready to change - especially in your mind (& actions), nothing around you may change. We must always realize that we have the choice. It's been said that (note this is my paraphrase):

"You may not be able to change things that happen but you can change your attitude and response to them."

The 2nd thing is: the end of something is not the END. Even when it involves death, though really painful, it is always also the beginning of a new phase of life.

Life is a progressive cycle. When something comes to an "end" be positive, embrace the beginning of a new experience rather expend valuable energy, emotions and time moaning about the end.

Be like the butterfly, who goes: 1, 2, 3...fly.

Get some donkeynality

When I added the last question to the "Tale of 2 donkeys"* I quickly asked myself:  "Really?"

The major thing I seem to remember about donkeys from my childhood is that they are "Beasts of Burden." Remembering it made me ask: "Wait a minute - did I just set myself up?" Afterall, Prov 6:2 which I like quoting tells us that:

"You might [or will] get trapped by what you say;

you might [or will] be caught by your own words [or what you say]."

(Expanded Bible)

Wisdom demands I acquire knowledge so I'm better aware of what I'm getting myself into - hence this piece on "donkeynality." What else would you call a donkey with "personality"? :)

Tales of 2 donkeys

Donkeys were very common and useful animals in the Bible - they were also rather special. In more than one instance, God used donkeys for unique assignments. There are several lessons we can learn from each donkey-tale; for now, we'll focus on 2 of the tales:

What's good for the donkey...

...is best for our children - yours, mine and others'.

Oracle or Receptacle?

The Bible tells us:
"If anyone speaks, [his speech should be] like the oracles of God;
if anyone serves, [his service should be] from the strength God provides, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:11 - Holman Christian Standard Bible)

I've noticed a lot of people desire and pray to speak as the "oracles of God" especially when they are preaching. There is nothing wrong with that prayer - once you realise that the key to speaking as an oracle is in first being a receptacle of God's word.

The other thing about being an oracle is to be careful that you are not just an orator - there is a sharp difference between them. Apollos is an example of an orator. Acts 18: 24-26 puts it this way: "At that time a Jew named Apollos, who had been born in Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker and had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm he proclaimed and taught correctly the facts about Jesus. However, he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home with them and explained to him more correctly the Way of God." (GNT)

Are you a Chicken, Ostrich or Penguin?

There are so many books on Parenting - I've even read some myself. A few months ago, I listened to an interesting message titled "Motherhood and Fatherhood incorporated" by Pastor Nike Adeyemi (Daystar Christian Centre) that hit the nail on the head of my current pain in the trend I'm seeing in parenting. I've seen 3 types of parents...

Chicken, Ostrich, Penguins.

The Bible talks about the first 2 types:

Discover (& release) the lion in you...

Last year, we talked about how we should learn from lions (http://sapphire-and-beryl.blogspot.com/2010/01/learn-from-lion.html). Afterall, we are related to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah so we might as well...be like Him. God stunned me again...as usual - a few weeks ago, my husband saw this piece while looking for something else...

see how God makes provision for a vision...simply amazing

What's holding you up?

Or should I be asking, "Who is holding you up?"

Sometime ago, a family friend shared a funny true-life story with me:

She said that a couple of years ago, there was traffic hold-up. Being compliant drivers, each person that came to that spot waited "patiently" of course wondering what the hold-up was all about. It was interesting that even the person at the front of the hold-up was also waiting "patiently" until shall I say, common sense kicked in. He got out of his car and did something about removing the "road block". Actually it was more than one "road block"...

Bringing it together

As different as they are, I noticed 2 common qualities between the Lion, Eagle & Lamb/Sheep (there may be more...)

Social status
The first common thing about these creatures is they have a “social network” – they are relatable and in touch with others like them.
Lions are the only cat that live in groups – so in spite of how powerful they are, they recognise the importance of family and friends. As a side comment:  God has placed your family and friends in your life for a purpose; please never think that “you can do without them”. You don’t get much mileage in wishing for another person’s family or friends either…you have who you need to either encourage or challenge you to be who God has planned for you to be.

As part of their social status, Lionesses as the primary hunters in the lion pride work together. They work together and win together. Same principle Gail Evans had in her book: "She wins, you win". Ladies, we get ahead further and faster when we work as a team. This includes praying with and for one another. The Bible encourages us to bear,not broadcast, one another's burdens in Galatians 6 verse 2. Please note: this is NOT a call to a feminist movement.

Lion + Eagle + Lamb/Sheep = ?

What will the answer to that equation be? Let's review what's we've shared about each of these creatures that Christians are likened to.

Jesus is both the Lamb of God and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He also exemplified how waiting on God (like the Eagle) energised Him.

There is so much to learn from each of these creatures. I'm convinced that if you dig, you'll find many more interesting facts than we have come up with.

I'll also look into some of their common traits. For now, I'll quickly summarise 5 high points of each creature – they are not in any order. Feel free to choose your high points and/or the ones you want to or will continue to work on in your life:

The Word on Lions

The Bible says a lot about lions, I like these ones:

Proverbs 28:1

“The wicked flee when no man pursues them, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous are bold as a lion” (Amplified Bible)

Proverbs 30:30

A lion, which is mighty among beasts and does not turn away from any; (NKJV)

Put together, the righteous are bold as a lion and do not turn away from any...as long as they remain righteous

Being "righteous" is simply about being right with/before God. So what does it mean to "be right" with God. In everyday speak, it is "being in God's good book"...

So how can one get into God's good book?

Learn from the lion

Lions have been celebrated throughout history for their courage and strength.  I came across some interesting facts about these large cats:

• Male lions have an unconditional affection for their coalition partners, whether they are blood relatives or not.* Wow, I wish we could also all have unconditional affection for each other…just like God has for us.
• In the wild, males seldom live longer than ten years, as injuries sustained from continuous fighting with rival males greatly reduces their longevity.** The emboldend portion is exactly the same for us. Too many of us are quick to be offended and live in unforgiveness or desire vengance. Unforgiveness eats you up and injures slowly…it’s definitely not healthy. This is one of the lions traits you MUST not take on…it will kill you before your time. When anyone offends (& yes, it’s when because Jesus promised us that offences will come***), whether or not they apologize, you must forgive them. This is one area of life where you should be selfish…forgive for your own good so you can move on.
• Lions have good hearing – they are able to hear distant sounds and know which direction they are coming from. All Christians must have good hearing to…so you can hear God above the noise of the world.
• It is said that a lion's roar can be heard 5 miles (8 km) away.**** As lions are known by and for their roars, we should also be known by and for our fruits. Our lives must bring “pleasure”, not pressure, to those around us and have a ripple effect to those afar.

It’s "easy" to be a lion…follow in the footsteps of the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

References:
*http://www.lionking.org/~sichi/lion.htm
**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion
*** Luke 17: 1 -“It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!” (NKJV)
**** http://www.lionlamb.us/lion/lionfact.html

Being a Lioness

We started talking about the 3 creatures the Bible likens Christians to (see other postings under the "Creatures & Christians" label)

We'll focus on the lioness here...there's so much talk about the lion so I looked into the lioness...afterall we're female and as they say - "ladies first". The random facts here are not in any particular order.

The lioness is the "Home maker". She does the hunting (that would be cooking for us) & nuturing.

It's interesting that not only does the lioness hunt, the lion actually gets to eat first...does that sound familiar for those of us who are married? Men get the first (& best) choice...it's almost like asking too much. I agree it's asking a lot... not too much. Think about it? How can any wife "do good not evil to her husband all the days of her life"* if she can't give him the best and first choice of food?

Heads or Tails?

I have separated these transferable traits of sheep because I see them as 2 sides of a coin, or shall I say 2 sides of a sheep? These traits are disparate and should be inseparable in the life of any and every Christian:

Follower-sheep: Closely linked to the fact that sheep are friendly and like to flock is that they are known to follow without thinking. That’s how they are raised from when they are lambs. “Follow without thinking” what a thought!!! Yes that’s what we are to do as Christians – follow Christ without thinking. It’s not our place to rationalise or ask, “how will this be” or turn out. We just need to trust the Maker of heaven and earth that His plans for us are for our good (& His glory). The sheep’s obedience in following the shepherd is what keeps it out of danger; remember it’s defenceless without the shepherd.

Can you guess what the other side of the "coin" is? I didn't even know this "side of the coin" existed until when led to write on why God refers to us as "the sheep of His pasture". The picture may not give you a hint but here it is...

Transferrable traits...

“Sheep is a term for selective grazing animals”*. They are selective about what they eat. Did you know that Lamb is the lowest in cholesterol of all red meats – is this a reflection of their healthy eating habits? I don’t know the answer but won’t be surprised if that is a contributing factor. They even say that lamb meat is rich in minerals and vitamins. A lot of authors have made money using God’s commands about what we should or should not eat. ** The point here is that we should eat healthy so we can add value to those around us. The second point is to teach our children to eat healthy – lambs learn from their parents – so they can also add value to those around them.

Time to give up or time to go on...you decide

Eagles enjoy one of the longest life expectancy among bird species. They can live for up to 40 years. In order to live long, they have to make a critical decision at the age of 30*.  As they age, like with every living creature, changes occur. The following are some of the changes that occur to eagles:

• 
  
  their eyesight grows dims, so they cannot see prey or predators as well 
  
  
  
• 
  
  their wings are heavier due to thick & long feathers, making flight more difficult
  
  
  
• their beaks grow long & curved almost touching their chest making it impossible for them to eat.

At that age, they have 2 choices:

• do nothing i.e. accept the situation and die, or
• do something i.e. make changes by putting themselves through a painful transformation and live. The eagles that decide to live need to do specific things - by themselves & away from others. 

Internet sources indicate that: 

Four facts about sheep

The Bible refers to us as sheep so many times...so I went digging for diamonds...here are 4 random facts:

Sheep have good hearing – most likely why Jesus said: “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice. I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,” *

So what go is it not to know or hear God’s voice. We must all desire and train ourselves to know and hear God’s voice. Why rely on 2nd-hand information when God can speak to you directly? By God’s grace, we’ll talk some more about hearing God – I know this is one area a lot of us struggle especially when it’s not the Christian brother you were “hoping for” that comes to propose to you. Did I just strike a chord? Well, more on that later...

R & R

Return & Rest...I won't be surprised if that's where the term "Rest & Recreation" was culled from. Of course everything - principles and practices - have their origin from the Bible.

God exemplified this principle - He rested on the 7th day and He continues to remind us in different sections of the Bible.

Let's start with Isaiah 30:15 "For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not, (Amplified Bible)