I’ve made it no secret we are canine and not feline in theology here at ENCNJ. The Dog says in his heart: ‘You feed me, clean up after me, and care for me… You must be God!’ A cat, on the other hand, says, ’You feed me, clean up after me, and care for me… I must be God!’ The LORD feeds us, cleans up after us and cares for us… HE alone is God. Although I may not be a fan of cats (don’t judge me), I do think there are a few things we can learn from them, particularly the lion. I learned the lion can see 8 times better than human beings in the dark. The design of the eye itself allows for maximized light intake in the darkest of nights. They even have a white strip underneath their eyes to reflect whatever light there is much like a football player would put a black strip beneath his eyes to minimize light and glare.
As I examine the life of Daniel, I see a man looking through the lens of a lion. Daniel’s story is horrific: he’s ripped from his family and homeland, many theologians believe he was made a eunuch, he was under the sentence of death on multiple occasions and finally is scheduled to be thrown into the lion’s den and yet what does he do?
The scripture says:
When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. (Daniel 6:10)
When I read “he gave thanks”, I couldn’t help but think, “give thanks for what!!??” The secret to Daniel’s longevity and prosperity was his ability to see through the lens of the lion to maximize the light that was present in his life. Here are a few simple ways we too can maximize the light in dark times and see through the lens of the lion:
- START YOUR DAY WITH A WIN. Former Navy Seal and best-selling author Admiral William McRaven writes: ”If you want to change the world, make your bed!” To begin your day accomplishing a task with excellence will fill you with positive fuel for the day. Even the Lord on the day of creation would accomplish something and stand back and enjoy His creation:
“Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good…..” (Genesis 1:3-4)
- ATTITUDE IS A CHOICE. You’re not a victim! While circumstances may be out of our control, our response is very much in our control. Choose Joy.
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
- DEVELOP THE SKILL OF GIVING THANKS. For some of us, gratitude comes easier than others. For those that are more bent towards the negative, you’ll need to train your eye to see all that’s right in your life. When God commands us to give thanks, it’s not for His good, but for ours! Gratitude strengthens our spiritual immune system.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
- LAUGH MORE. I can tend to be a bit of a “Captain Serious” (anyone else?) and if I’m not deliberate about filling my day with moments of humor things can get dark for me. I try to surround myself with funny, Godly people. God in His goodness has given us a medicine for our souls and it’s called LAUGHTER.
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)