The Toothless Lion

"For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of G-d; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

"For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of the righteousness: for he is as a babe.

"But strong meat belongs to them that are full of age, even those who by reason of use have the senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

~ Hebrews 5:12-14

When we first start our journey in our faith the L-rd describes us as babes, mere infants, that He wishes to raise up on H-s words and wisdom. In this aspect we are nurtured by our G-d on H-s milk so that one day we might mature into the mighty warriors he created us to be. This is a phase in our journey that is precious and vital to our spiritual well-being. It is a bonding period that binds our soul to the very heart of G-d. But it was never meant to last forever. 

At some point we are meant to grow into the lions G-d has shaped us into. Our manes grow out, our muscles are made strong, and our teeth appear. All of this is made possible by the milk of G-d's word. Yet none of these aspects of maturity can be sustained by milk alone. 

Like lions, we go through the phase of "cutting our teeth". We make mistakes and get to anxious to move onto the meat. At times we are just to eager and hit the ground running in whichever given direction. And for the most part, these mishaps are easily corrected and we get back on course and follow in our L-rd's footsteps once again. 

But for some of us these little errors in judgement are enough to make them turn away from the next phase or leave their faith all together. When it comes time to use their teeth they simply reject the premiss all together. For others the very idea of moving on from the milk phase is just too great a step for them to take. Instead of maturing in their faith they seem more content to stay an infant for the rest of time. In either case the end result is always the same. 

Starvation. 

A lion without its teeth is doomed. Without the ability to accept ourselves for what G-d has made us and is shaping us into leaves us toothless. And in our spiritual lives there is no such thing as stagnation. There is only growth and starvation. 

The soul of man was made to seek after its Cr-ator. To do this it has to be able to grow beyond simply knowing that G-d exist. It needs to know the love of G-d. And after that it yearns to know every other aspect of G-d. If it is cut off from learning, from growing, it starts to retreat. The passion our souls naturally posses for G-d mirrors the passion G-d posses for us. 

Once we learn to accept the challenges laid before us and learn to accept both our failures and defeats, we learn what it means to cut our teeth. From that point on the meat of G-d is our persistent "hunt" for H-m... our seeking after H-s presence, H-s word, and H-s heart. Once we learn how to do this we learn what it means to truly never be 'hungry' again. 

"The young lions do lack, and suffer from hunger: but they that seek the J-hovah shall not want any good thing."

~ Psalm 34:10

From Hunter To The Hunted

"It is the L-rd who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

~ Deuteronomy 31:8

Often in life it feels like there are more enemies than friends. And to add to the already stressful situations we often face our friends can feel a bit like enemies. So much so in fact that we even have common sayings expressing such sentiment. It is almost enough to make even the strongest of us just decide to toss in the towel and walk away. 

For the faithful it can be even worse when we set out to follow our faith on a daily basis. We tend to surround ourselves with those of a similar mindset. Yet we are often drawn out of our comfort zones and forced into situations that rapidly become combative. And in the blink of an eye we find ourselves acting out like a scared animal... taking swipes at whomever or whatever we reach out toward. 

It is easy for us to look back on situations like these when they have passed us by. We can see the dogs for what they are. And we can see ourselves for what we had become. 

Most of the time this is the hardest part of emulating the spirit of G-d and how He would have us act. This is the part where we have to realize that we aren't always the lion we would like to imagine. This is where we have to see the fearful beast that takes over when we can't give up the fight... give up the power. 

I myself am quick to show my teeth, so to speak. Like the lion, I bristle my hair and growl. And with the noble beast's pride, I rarely back away from a fight. Its this tenacity that allows me to do the work I feel I have been given. Its this spirit that gives me the strength to deal with the work I do on Alder's Ledge (link is somewhere here on this blog). 

The down side to this is the tendency to bite and ask questions later. 

Looking back it is easy to identify when that first blow was landed. You can almost spot the very moment you make contact with the wrong person. And yet not matter how hard you wish you hadn't, you can see in that very instant when you turn a friend into a foe. Those are the moments you wish you could take back. Those are the words, the actions, and the emotions you wish you could have just had one more second to think about before they occurred. 

But the moment passes. The fight usually subsides. And the wounds often heal. 

The reason this is the hardest part of living in the way G-d has shown to us is that this is the part where we lean upon H-m. 

Given the chance to run away we often do just that. Other times we take the opportunity to open old wounds and simply fight back some more. These are such natural reactions to us that we even identify it as a the "fight or flight" response. Yet G-d calls upon us to do the most unnatural of things instead. 

Surrender. 

G-d tells us that if we surrender our own will to fight of our own strength He will provide for us and make our way in a path of H-s choosing. All we have to do is give up the power and relent the battle to H-m. This is a response that calls for a greater level of trust in H-m rather than the hope that He will forgive us later. It calls upon us to have faith that G-d will deliver justice in the end. It calls upon us to turn onto G-d what is H-s to begin with. 

The battles we often face in life are trivial. The battles we face in our spiritual life however can have ramifications of which we have no ability to fully understand. The irony is that more often than not we choose to throw in the towel and offer a few muttered words to G-d over the trivial while bullheadedly refusing to give up upon the most significant battles we face. This is how we are often lured into situations where we almost instantly go from being the hunter to being the hunted. 

As believers in G-d we are cast into a struggle not our own. We are made to fight when it is least convenient and made to stand down when we would rather not. Our enemies already know that. That is why the lure is set in the first place. That is why it is used over and over again. 

When we take to showing our teeth and preparing to fight we should readily seek G-d. Through H-s guidance we can more easily identify when the battle is of our will or of H-s. If we seek H-m first we can do less looking back upon mistakes and spend more time praising H-s name.

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

~ Hebrews 4:16

The Wandering Lion

 
"The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion."

~ Proverbs 28:1

Going through my daily life it is hard at times to remember just how and for what purpose G-d has made me. At times I often do feel like a lion, if all be it one caged in a circus just waiting to escape. My soul seems to pace back and forth within its confines waiting to be set free. Like the panting lions staring back from between the bars, my heart hungers for what is on the other side. 

This need to be free is the most natural of desires mankind has. It is the state of man to pursue his liberties without relenting. We were made with this hunger that even the largest of enclosures can not subdue. For even in the best and most well kept cages we still linger at the gate. Our hearts still seek what is kept just beyond our reach. 

In religion of any form this natural inclination is almost immediately put into conflict with our understanding of G-d's will. Whether we are given 10 commandments or 613, a part of our being seeks to reach beyond those confines and test the bars which hold us in. For some of us, perhaps, just knowing the limits set for us is enough to accept our perceived captivity. For others it becomes a game of sorts to see just how far over the line we can step before having to hop back over to the other side.

This is where I have found it difficult to accept myself as a lion in captivity but rather a wandering "lion amongst the beasts of the forest" (Micah 5:8). I know my G-d made me free from my first breath. I follow H-s commandments as a form of praise and thankfulness for all G-d has bestowed upon me. 

And yet far to often that is how I see my fellow believers viewing their faith. As though the word of the L-rd is a barrier... a prison of their own making. And for all their roaring and all their saber rattling, they are just lions pacing the lengths of their cage. 

Life in of itself has a way of making us feel as though we are that lion trapped and confined. Whether it be to our job, our responsibilities, or those things we would rather keep secret. Our day to day life has a way of shackling us and tossing us behind rusted bars. 

Our faith should not. 

G-d has made each of us capable of being mighty lions. We were created in H-s image. We were made to display H-s love, mercy, compassion, justice, and yes... even his anger. We were not meant to flee before the presence of our enemy but rather to stand firm like the noble beasts we are. 

When faced with evil we should be able to display to others all the aspects of our G-d. We should be able to show even the worst of men the love and mercy that G-d has given onto us. And with an honest heart and compassionate tongue, we should be able to convey G-d's anger when we find evil amongst our own. 

Yet far to often these aspects of being "amongst the righteous" are lost. And at times it feels more like we are nothing more than jackals rather than lions. At times we are more prone to cannibalism rather than accountability. And more tragically, we often find ourselves with far less a compassionate heart for the sinner and more apt to anger for the sin itself. 

In the end however I would wish it could be said of me, and those I love, that we were as lions when confronted with evil. That we stood before our enemy and bore our claws and showed our teeth not for our own salvation but so that others might live.