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| A young male lion at a safari reservation in Lusaka |
Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.
Chase the lion.
By-Mark Batterson
I first heard this from Pastor Len a couple years ago in a sermon at our church. It so struck me as I was in the midst of total uncertainty in knowing why I was being called to "something bigger" in Zambia. And being scared to death as to the what, how, who, when and where. All those questions. Though one of the biggest issues was NOT questioning who God had called me to be. Allowing God to use me for who I already was in His eyes.
The Lion Chasers Manifesto is perched on my kitchen window sill to this day, almost 2 1/2 years later. I read it again this morning as I was doing dishes and was reminded of how crazy, wild and exciting living that way can be. Though it is by experience now that those words permeate my life and my soul as each phrase quickens my heart as I think about the journey from that Sunday in church till now. It definitely is quite a ride.
