The Lion and the Lamb

I heard a story recently about a baby lion that was born.  The baby was there with his mother and there was an attack.  The attack was brutal, and the mother was killed.  The father in an attempt to save the cub threw him in the bushes.  Then the father was killed as well, but the baby lion lived.  After the massacre was done, the lion woke up all alone, barely functioning at such an early age.  Just then a herd of sheep came by, “Baaa…baaaa.”  The lion cub came out and one of the sheep rubbed up against him, and before you know it, in a few months, he had joined the herd.  This little lion would walk around with these sheep saying, “Baaaaa…..baaaaaa,” acting and sounding like a sheep.  Then one day, a group of lions came upon the herd.  They sliced up all the sheep around them.  The little lion, who is not so little anymore, watches all this around him saying “Baaaa….baaaa.”  He’s horrified by it all.  He’s in shock as this one giant male lion approaches him.  The giant lion smacks the young lion on the head and says, “What the hell is wrong with you?”  He grabs him by the mane and takes him to the stream.  He forces the young lion to look down so he can see he’s not a sheep.  But the young lion is still not convinced.  So the big lion tries to feed the young lion some of the sheep.  He tries to spit it out not wanting to betray his brethren, but the big lion shoves the lamb into his mouth and forces him to swallow.  Then something magical happens.  Somewhere deep inside, the lion remembers who he truly is.  That there is something inside of him that nothing can ever take away.  Nothing.  Something so strong that it can be kind but powerful, and as the food goes down, everything changes.  He stops saying “Baaa…..baaaa” and he lets out a huge “ROAR!!!”

I can’t help but see myself at times as this lost lion.  Different tragedies in my life have caused me to loose sight of who I am, and who I was meant to be.  I go about my days in the warm comfort of the herd, believing all of the lies they continue to tell me.  

Baaaa….baaaa – your life is about you and your comfort.  

Baaaa….baaaa – when you fail, everyone will abandon you.  

Baaaa….baaaa – God is distant and uninterested in the details of your life.

Jacob’s blog last week reminded me that these lies I keep believing have me worshiping self-reliance rather than having faith that I will be provided for.  This is a knot I need to untie- or better yet, I need to hand over.  It’s time I realize that I can’t control my daughter’s depression, where my grandson will live, or my failing business.  I need to trust that it will be ok and believe that my version of ok, might not be what’s best for me.  I don’t think that if I pray that God will do all of the work.  I do think that if I trust Him, He will give me the strength and resilience to overcome whatever I’m faced with.  I have a sign in my office that reads, “The will of God will never take you were the grace of God will not protect you.”  I need to let that soak in.  Rather than focusing on solving my problems on my own, I should spend more time letting God’s grace take a crack at it.  My role in that is to stop blocking His grace with my pride and sin. 

We are just a few short days away from being able to receive the Eucharist again, my brothers.  I pray that this time it is different.  If you find yourself lost, let these words grab you and force you to look at your reflection.  When you go to mass for the first time in months, take in that lamb and let it resonate deep inside, reminding you who you truly are.  I’m sure our awesome priests would have no problems if after receiving the body of Christ, you turn around and let out an epic “ROAR!!!”