Chasing Lions

This is going to be short and sweet today! :) I have started a new book called In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson.

The title of the book comes from the biblical story of Benaiah. Benaiah comes face to face with a lion, and chases it into a pit. Most normal people would turn around and walk away, feeling accomplished. Not Benaiah. He jumps in the pit with the lion, and makes it out alive.

I am still trying to get over the fact that instead of walking away, he jumped right in to get rid of the lion for good. I don't think that thought would ever cross my mind. Maybe that's why I am so unsatisfied with where I am in life right now. I feel like I could be doing so much more. That's what this book is all about. Taking opportunities, and running with them.

In the book, Batterson says "I'm absolutely convinced that our greatest regrets in life will be missed opportunities" and "Spiritual maturity is seeing and seizing God-ordained opportunities." I couldn't agree more. One quote I posted to Facebook the other day was this:

The cost of not following your heart, is spending the rest of your life …wishing you had. ~J Paulsen

I felt that was just a perfect quote to go along with the book I was reading.

 

One other important point to remember from the first chapter was this:

"Goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Our calling is much higher than simply running away from what's wrong. We're called to chase lions - look for opportunities in our problems and obstacles, and take risks to reach for God's best." I've often heard that sometimes the right decision doesn't always look like the best one... Now if I could just figure out how to tell the difference.

 

Now I need to figure out which lion chasing skill I need to work on....and start chasing some lions. Check out the book, it's a good one! 

 

And just because I LOVE this....and it's so fitting....