Become a lion chaser in 2017
Iwas putting the final touches on clearing my driveway of a heavy load of snow when a couple youngsters coming down the street put a huge smile on my face.
In case you read that too quickly and missed the detail, it was a heavy load of snow. One young fella appeared to be about 10 years old and the other a year or two older. They were each carrying a little plastic, “toy” shovel.
Seizing a hunch I asked, “Are you guys out shovelling driveways?”
“Oh yeah,” they replied proudly.
I couldn’t help but grin at their naivete. I had just worked myself into a lather with a real shovel. I couldn’t imagine taking on the task with the shovels they were carrying.
Pushing the issue a bit further, I inquired, “Are you making any money?”
“Oh yeah,” they said again. “We just made 30 bucks up the street.”
Thirty dollars. Guess who was grinning now?
Where do we lose that spirit? At what stage of life do we lose the belief that we can tackle even the biggest snowdrift with a plastic shovel? Where do we learn to play safe and practical and to be cynical of those who aren’t?
About the same time as that incident occurred, I was directed to a new book released by author Mark Batterson. It is titled Chase The Lion. It is based on one verse from the Older Testament of the Bible describing Benaiah, one of the brave soldiers in King David’s army. Describing his exploits, it says, “On a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.”
Who does that? Lions can run upwards of 80 km/h. Their roar can be heard kilometres away. They can cover 30 feet in one leap. Humans don’t stand a chance, or so we’ve been told.
But one snowy day, for reasons unexplained, Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. He didn’t stumble on the lion. He chased it. Perhaps a village was being terrorized. Maybe young children had gone missing. No one knows why, but one man chose to run toward the roar.
Two youngsters with plastic shovels and one courageous soldier from millennia ago have caused me to re-evaluate how I am going to face 2017.
Too often, I have chosen to play safe. Too frequently, I’ve contented myself to attempt only what I know I can accomplish.
Batterson’s words reverberate through my mind daily as I assess my endeavours for the coming year. “If your dream doesn’t scare you,” he says, “it’s too small.”
With full credit to Mark Batterson, I have adopted his Lion Chaser’s Manifesto as my creed for 2017.
“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Run to the roar. Set God-sized goals. Pursue Godgiven passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Stop pointing out problems. Become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past. Start creating the future. Face your fears. Fight for your dreams. Grab opportunity by the mane and don’t let go. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Live for the applause of nail-scarred hands. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Dare to fail. Dare to be different. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion.” (Batterson, 2016). Happy running throughout 2017. Tim Schroeder is a pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna. His column usually appears on Sundays.