Tiger In The Zoo

But if I say, "I will not remember Him, or speak anymore in His name," then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it. Jeremiah 20:9 (NASB)

My family visited the zoo this summer. I always love going and getting to steal a look at exotic animals I would otherwise never see or even known existed. I have got to say, though, I am always disappointed by the lions, tigers and bears (oh my!). Nature's most ferocious beasts, with a God-given ordination to be nothing but killers, and they always just lie there sunning themselves. Seriously, ca not we just release a zebra into their area and let nature take its course?

Okay, I am being a little bit morbid here, but they were born to hunt. They should be out chasing gazelles or water buffalo or whatever, not just lying there. They have things to go after. My point here is that sometimes the realities of life lull us to being tranquil, content and at peace with just lying around doing nothing. We feel a lack of direction, so we put our God-given talents on permanent hold. Like the lion in the zoo that knows his next meal will be thrown at him, we know we don't have to go out and fight for our spiritual food, so we languish in our routine. We cast aside our natural hunter, knowing we will be taken care of by our own income, our family or our government. At least I do. I carry around the attitude that if I cannot do something big, I cannot do anything, so I do not even try. I have lost my bite, my desire to go out and be a ferocious Christian.

Enter the verse above from Jeremiah. The "fire shut up in my bones" is what I feel inside some days, too. I feel as though if I cannot be un-caged, I will burn up! I feel like I could "go.into all the world," (Mark16:15) and "make disciples of all nations," (Matthew 28:19), just give me the plane ticket and I'm gone. Yes, Lord! I say, but when nothing seems to come my way, I start to lose the edge, and the coals start to die out. Then daily life rears its ugly, monotonous head, and I suppress the blaze once again.

So what does it take to be a ferocious Christian? What do I need to do to regain my bite? I am not sure I have the answer. But I know being content with what I am doing is not it. I need to actively search out ways to make little differences, even though the "big one" is still something I look for. I need to understand that not everyone is a Billy Graham, not everyone is a Paul, and maybe Mother Teresa did more good in her daily life in India than she did by being famous for it. It is a succession of little "goods," little "yes, Lord's," that are important. Tending the fire of passionately loving God over a lifetime adds up more than making a big fire once and then being done. So daily life then loses its monotony, because daily life becomes obedience, not decay. So I look for today's "yes." I look for today's opportunity, because tomorrow's will be different. It may be bigger, it may be smaller, but it will be no less important.

God, grant me the opportunity to obey You in small things and in big. Thank You that life does not hold one chance for obedience, but many occasions on which to serve You. Give me the eyes to see them all, and grant me the ferocity to go after Your will, no matter the cost. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher