Lion Chaser
Do you ever have those days where you wake up in a fairly neutral mood, only to have some amazing stuff happen all before 1:00pm? Well, for me, today has been one of those days! Let me take you back to this morning when it all began...*plays magical fairytale music as the imaginary screen warps and takes us back in time*.
My Sunday morning started off quite normal. My alarm went off at 7:30am, I ignored it, and finally "got up" a few minutes later (aka: rolled over and spent time on my phone). Once I was actually up, I got ready for church, made my coffee, grabbed a super yummy homemade flourless almond butter zucchini muffin for breakfast, and then headed off to church. I turned the radio to the K-Love Christian radio station, and somewhere along my drive I made the decision to attend the 10:30am service after adult forum. I usually skip the worship service and go to the gym, but something inside me was telling me to go. It was so great to be back at church and to see everyone again. We had a good adult forum class that focused on Acts 12: 6-17, when Peter was delivered from prison and went to the house of Mary, the mother of Mark. The lesson focused mainly on Mary's courage to open the doors of her home despite the possibility of public peril, and how you don't have to be well known to make a big difference, all you need is courage and faith. We also got onto the topic of how times have changed, and continue to change, from way back when, which caused me to think a lot about my own life and future on this earth.
After adult forum, I went upstairs to refill my coffee and head into the 10:30am service. I found a seat, and looking around I couldn't help but notice that nearly everyone around me had at least 40+ more years of experience on this earth than I've had. Is it weird that I almost feel more comfortable in this setting than I do in a setting with people my own age? Let's not answer that. Anyways, the service started, everything went along as usual, and then we got to the message. The message was delivered by the youth director of the church, Scott Pelletier. The message was titled "A Pit, a Lion and a Snowy Day" and focused on 2 Samuel 23: 20-21, when Benaiah went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. Both the message from adult forum and the worship service involve stories that are very simple, involve uncommon/unheard of people from the Bible, and revolve around having courage. Scott went on to talk about how a person's typical reaction to seeing a lion is to run as fast as they can in the other direction, but Benaiah had the opposite reaction; he wanted to go to towards the lion and face him head on - he was a lion chaser. Now, Scott's message really didn't resonate too deeply with me until he showed us this short video clip from YouTube titled "The Awe Factor of God", which I encourage you to watch right now if you have time. Everything started coming together in my mind after this video clip was played, and I couldn't scribble down my thoughts fast enough. Thoughts I've been having for weeks, thoughts from this mornings class, thoughts on the current service, and even thoughts of my future began to come together. I'll list the main ideas that came to light below:
(If you watched the video...) One of my first thoughts I had while watching the video was regarding heaven. How can there not be a heaven if we have such an amazing Universe created by God himself? If God could create the Universe and everything single detail in it, there's really no doubt in my mind that God had time to create a heaven as well. Why do I believe this? Because of my faith, and my belief, trust, and hope in God. Of course I have my moments of doubt, and this is when I reached back to the discussion in adult forum this morning about how life is always changing. Yes, life is always changing, but we always seem to manage by adapting and adjusting. Some of these changes are bigger than others.
Let's say I have about 60 Christmas's left to enjoy (that's assuming I live to be 82 years old) - how different will my next Christmas be compared to the 28th or the 56th? Drastically. These Christmases will be drastically different. This next Christmas will most likely be spent back home in Minnesota at my parent's house, just as it has been for years. I haven't had to endure any major changes to the Christmas traditions I grew up with, but when my 43rd Christmas rolls around, I'll be in my 60's, and my parents will no longer be around. This is what really got me. I can't even begin to imagine a world without my mom or dad; the mere thought of it brings tears to my eyes. I honestly can't even fathom it sometimes. This thought led to the realization of how short and precious life really is. This makes me scared, because I love life so much, and I don't want to miss out on anything. I want to be alive on this earth to enjoy my morning coffee, the sunrises and sunsets, waves crashing on a beach, typing lengthy blog posts for you lovely people to read, eating my overnight oats, enjoying the simple pleasure of reading a book, the act of making someone smile, that moment you wake up and realize it's Friday, starting yet another TV series on Netflix, eating the whole pint of ice cream (whoops), going for a hike...the list is literally endless for me, and this is just stuff that I enjoy in the present. What about all my hopes for the future?
This leads to my next thought of why I'm so scared to miss out on life, and that is because if my parent's can pass away someday, that means I myself will pass away someday too, and the length of my life is a complete mystery to me. I believe my fear of missing out on life stems from the fact that growing old and our time here on earth isn't guaranteed. I have hopes of simply growing old, and I consider all other hopes an added bonus. Getting my first "real" job. Moving into an apartment. Finding "the one". Buying/building a first house together. Getting married. Having kids. Possibly adopting a baby. Sharing an ice cream cone. Cuddling under the stars. Fighting over something ridiculous (most likely my fault). Making up later. Sharing a kiss. Embracing in a giant bear hug. Attending church together. Our first vacation. Again, the list is endless. Hopes of the future aren't guaranteed, and our future itself isn't guaranteed either. If I end up single until I'm in my 50's, then so be it. If I'm single forever, that's fine, too. Will I be disappointed? Yes, but it's all part of God's plan for my life, and I have faith in Him that he knows what he's doing. So why am I so accepting of the fact that these hopes may not come true? Because I see no point in worrying about a future that we can't entirely control, especially when I have an amazing life that I can appreciate right now. I encourage you to take a look at your life and everything you're facing right now, what you've dealt with in the past, or may possibly battle in the future. Now, try your absolute hardest to make the most of the circumstances that God has currently presented you with, good or bad. Your future is not guaranteed, but the life you're living right now this very second is entirely yours! What an amazing gift that is! Do your best to be happy with wherever you're at in life, and make the most of every moment and opportunity that God places on the treasure map of your life.
This leads to the next thought (I know my thought process is like a game of Chutes & Ladders, and if you're still reading this send me your address because you deserve a medal). Just as Benaiah faced the lion in the snowy pit, we too face our own lions in life. Many of us are facing bad times and battling our own lions, so ask yourself: what are your lions? Scott said in his message that "goodness is not the absence of badness", and success is making the most out of every opportunity, good or bad. Opportunities are God's gifts to us, and what we do with those opportunities are our gifts to God. Whether your lion is currently sleeping or just woke up hungry from a lengthy hibernation, have the courage to face your lions. God won't put a lion in our lives that we won't be able to tackle, so long as we have the faith in God and the courage to try.
So, what are my lions? My biggest lions may be sleeping right now, but the fact of the matter is that my lion is going to wake up eventually, and for all I know it will bring along it's pack of sextuplet lion cubs and all their little lion cub friends. I'm pretty sure my biggest lion is currently pacing off in the distance waiting for graduation day to arrive, and then I'm sure it'll come join the party. Planning my uncertain future is a scary thought, and thinking about embarking on journeys that will take me far from home and the people I love is quite terrifying, because there will always be that fear of missing something, no matter which path I choose to take.
Just because I don't have any big lions in my life at this moment, that doesn't mean my life is a nonstop party. I don't wake up every morning in pure bliss humming show tunes while birds braid my hair. Yes, I would say I am genuinely happy a good majority of the time, mostly because I choose to have a positive attitude and outlook on life. I am not ignorant of the fact that I'm going to encounter some big lions in my life down the road, like when my parents pass away, or when a major life change happens, etc. When those big challenges present themselves, I can only hope, pray, and cling to God during those hard times and do my best to keep in mind the message that I am sharing with you all now.
Out of all the uncertainties in life, and after taking into account all that I've learned this morning at church from the messages and video, what I am sure of is this: yes, we are all going to die someday, but if God truly did create the miraculous Universe we saw in the video, and if what the Bible says about Heaven is real, then I know that even if I don't get to fulfill my hopes of the future, I'm still guaranteed to spend an eternity in paradise with God, and all my loved ones, in heaven. This simple thought helps reduce those fears of missing out on life, because no matter how amazing life is here on earth, eternal life in heaven is going to be incomparably greater.
So remember this: Don't let fear paralyze you. Embrace every opportunity. Make the most of every moment. When your lion calls, will you have the courage to chase it? Have the courage to face your lions.
Be a lion chaser.
♥ Jane
My Sunday morning started off quite normal. My alarm went off at 7:30am, I ignored it, and finally "got up" a few minutes later (aka: rolled over and spent time on my phone). Once I was actually up, I got ready for church, made my coffee, grabbed a super yummy homemade flourless almond butter zucchini muffin for breakfast, and then headed off to church. I turned the radio to the K-Love Christian radio station, and somewhere along my drive I made the decision to attend the 10:30am service after adult forum. I usually skip the worship service and go to the gym, but something inside me was telling me to go. It was so great to be back at church and to see everyone again. We had a good adult forum class that focused on Acts 12: 6-17, when Peter was delivered from prison and went to the house of Mary, the mother of Mark. The lesson focused mainly on Mary's courage to open the doors of her home despite the possibility of public peril, and how you don't have to be well known to make a big difference, all you need is courage and faith. We also got onto the topic of how times have changed, and continue to change, from way back when, which caused me to think a lot about my own life and future on this earth.
After adult forum, I went upstairs to refill my coffee and head into the 10:30am service. I found a seat, and looking around I couldn't help but notice that nearly everyone around me had at least 40+ more years of experience on this earth than I've had. Is it weird that I almost feel more comfortable in this setting than I do in a setting with people my own age? Let's not answer that. Anyways, the service started, everything went along as usual, and then we got to the message. The message was delivered by the youth director of the church, Scott Pelletier. The message was titled "A Pit, a Lion and a Snowy Day" and focused on 2 Samuel 23: 20-21, when Benaiah went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. Both the message from adult forum and the worship service involve stories that are very simple, involve uncommon/unheard of people from the Bible, and revolve around having courage. Scott went on to talk about how a person's typical reaction to seeing a lion is to run as fast as they can in the other direction, but Benaiah had the opposite reaction; he wanted to go to towards the lion and face him head on - he was a lion chaser. Now, Scott's message really didn't resonate too deeply with me until he showed us this short video clip from YouTube titled "The Awe Factor of God", which I encourage you to watch right now if you have time. Everything started coming together in my mind after this video clip was played, and I couldn't scribble down my thoughts fast enough. Thoughts I've been having for weeks, thoughts from this mornings class, thoughts on the current service, and even thoughts of my future began to come together. I'll list the main ideas that came to light below:
(If you watched the video...) One of my first thoughts I had while watching the video was regarding heaven. How can there not be a heaven if we have such an amazing Universe created by God himself? If God could create the Universe and everything single detail in it, there's really no doubt in my mind that God had time to create a heaven as well. Why do I believe this? Because of my faith, and my belief, trust, and hope in God. Of course I have my moments of doubt, and this is when I reached back to the discussion in adult forum this morning about how life is always changing. Yes, life is always changing, but we always seem to manage by adapting and adjusting. Some of these changes are bigger than others.
Let's say I have about 60 Christmas's left to enjoy (that's assuming I live to be 82 years old) - how different will my next Christmas be compared to the 28th or the 56th? Drastically. These Christmases will be drastically different. This next Christmas will most likely be spent back home in Minnesota at my parent's house, just as it has been for years. I haven't had to endure any major changes to the Christmas traditions I grew up with, but when my 43rd Christmas rolls around, I'll be in my 60's, and my parents will no longer be around. This is what really got me. I can't even begin to imagine a world without my mom or dad; the mere thought of it brings tears to my eyes. I honestly can't even fathom it sometimes. This thought led to the realization of how short and precious life really is. This makes me scared, because I love life so much, and I don't want to miss out on anything. I want to be alive on this earth to enjoy my morning coffee, the sunrises and sunsets, waves crashing on a beach, typing lengthy blog posts for you lovely people to read, eating my overnight oats, enjoying the simple pleasure of reading a book, the act of making someone smile, that moment you wake up and realize it's Friday, starting yet another TV series on Netflix, eating the whole pint of ice cream (whoops), going for a hike...the list is literally endless for me, and this is just stuff that I enjoy in the present. What about all my hopes for the future?
This leads to my next thought of why I'm so scared to miss out on life, and that is because if my parent's can pass away someday, that means I myself will pass away someday too, and the length of my life is a complete mystery to me. I believe my fear of missing out on life stems from the fact that growing old and our time here on earth isn't guaranteed. I have hopes of simply growing old, and I consider all other hopes an added bonus. Getting my first "real" job. Moving into an apartment. Finding "the one". Buying/building a first house together. Getting married. Having kids. Possibly adopting a baby. Sharing an ice cream cone. Cuddling under the stars. Fighting over something ridiculous (most likely my fault). Making up later. Sharing a kiss. Embracing in a giant bear hug. Attending church together. Our first vacation. Again, the list is endless. Hopes of the future aren't guaranteed, and our future itself isn't guaranteed either. If I end up single until I'm in my 50's, then so be it. If I'm single forever, that's fine, too. Will I be disappointed? Yes, but it's all part of God's plan for my life, and I have faith in Him that he knows what he's doing. So why am I so accepting of the fact that these hopes may not come true? Because I see no point in worrying about a future that we can't entirely control, especially when I have an amazing life that I can appreciate right now. I encourage you to take a look at your life and everything you're facing right now, what you've dealt with in the past, or may possibly battle in the future. Now, try your absolute hardest to make the most of the circumstances that God has currently presented you with, good or bad. Your future is not guaranteed, but the life you're living right now this very second is entirely yours! What an amazing gift that is! Do your best to be happy with wherever you're at in life, and make the most of every moment and opportunity that God places on the treasure map of your life.
This leads to the next thought (I know my thought process is like a game of Chutes & Ladders, and if you're still reading this send me your address because you deserve a medal). Just as Benaiah faced the lion in the snowy pit, we too face our own lions in life. Many of us are facing bad times and battling our own lions, so ask yourself: what are your lions? Scott said in his message that "goodness is not the absence of badness", and success is making the most out of every opportunity, good or bad. Opportunities are God's gifts to us, and what we do with those opportunities are our gifts to God. Whether your lion is currently sleeping or just woke up hungry from a lengthy hibernation, have the courage to face your lions. God won't put a lion in our lives that we won't be able to tackle, so long as we have the faith in God and the courage to try.
So, what are my lions? My biggest lions may be sleeping right now, but the fact of the matter is that my lion is going to wake up eventually, and for all I know it will bring along it's pack of sextuplet lion cubs and all their little lion cub friends. I'm pretty sure my biggest lion is currently pacing off in the distance waiting for graduation day to arrive, and then I'm sure it'll come join the party. Planning my uncertain future is a scary thought, and thinking about embarking on journeys that will take me far from home and the people I love is quite terrifying, because there will always be that fear of missing something, no matter which path I choose to take.
Just because I don't have any big lions in my life at this moment, that doesn't mean my life is a nonstop party. I don't wake up every morning in pure bliss humming show tunes while birds braid my hair. Yes, I would say I am genuinely happy a good majority of the time, mostly because I choose to have a positive attitude and outlook on life. I am not ignorant of the fact that I'm going to encounter some big lions in my life down the road, like when my parents pass away, or when a major life change happens, etc. When those big challenges present themselves, I can only hope, pray, and cling to God during those hard times and do my best to keep in mind the message that I am sharing with you all now.
Out of all the uncertainties in life, and after taking into account all that I've learned this morning at church from the messages and video, what I am sure of is this: yes, we are all going to die someday, but if God truly did create the miraculous Universe we saw in the video, and if what the Bible says about Heaven is real, then I know that even if I don't get to fulfill my hopes of the future, I'm still guaranteed to spend an eternity in paradise with God, and all my loved ones, in heaven. This simple thought helps reduce those fears of missing out on life, because no matter how amazing life is here on earth, eternal life in heaven is going to be incomparably greater.
So remember this: Don't let fear paralyze you. Embrace every opportunity. Make the most of every moment. When your lion calls, will you have the courage to chase it? Have the courage to face your lions.
Be a lion chaser.
♥ Jane
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