Lion Chasers

It has been said that people start a new year with resolutions regarding the things they won’t do that year. But social psychologists that I’ve read say that more often than not, we end the year with regrets not of what we wish we hadn’t done, but rather we end each year regretting the things we wish we had done. Okay, I even found some statistics (you know I’m a fan of statistics anyway --- they help substantiate trends and observations) on this too.

For people who have regrets about the past week in their lives ….

• Action regrets (what we wish we hadn’t done) are 53% of our weekly regrets.
• Inaction regrets (what we wish we had done) are 47% of our weekly regrets.

But … when people look at their lives as a whole …

• Action regrets (what we wish we hadn’t done) are only 16% of our regrets.
• Inaction regrets (what we wish we had done) are 84% of our regrets.

Source: Neal Roese, “If Only: How To Turn Regret Into Opportunity”

Now I have my fair share of action regrets. I used to say that I was the world’s worst sinner; then I read that the Apostle Paul had already laid claim to that title. I have said and done some really stupid things that I wish I could un-say and un-do. But it seems that what I’m learning about life is that our deepest regrets are the risks or actions not taken, the opportunities not seized and the dreams not pursued. And the social psychologists that I’m reading are saying that this is the norm. It’s not just Larry’s unique experience.

Okay, I’ll accept that. But as a Christian, I find myself wondering if maybe Christians aren’t going to experience this phenomenon to a higher degree than others. You see, I believe our churches have focused on sins of commission. It seems that we’re more aligned with avoiding action regrets, so we have a whole list of things we don’t do, shouldn’t do, can’t do and won’t do. I heard one guy call it “holiness by subtraction.” If so, then holiness would be the byproduct of subtracting things from our lives that should not be there. Of course, that doesn’t deal at all with maximizing our God-given potential.

Don’t get me wrong. Holiness certainly does involve subtraction. I have a few more things that I need to subtract too! But I wonder if God is perhaps more interested in our sins of omission than our sins of commission. What are the things that He thinks we should have and could have done? Could it be that holiness has as much (or more) to do with seizing opportunities than just resisting temptations? It would seem that you can do nothing wrong, but still not do anything that’s right either.

My teen-age children used to have a pat answer when I would question what they were watching on TV, listening to, etc. Invariably they would retort that “There is nothing wrong with this!” Very often that would be an accurate statement too. But I often found myself thinking --- and sometimes saying aloud, “Yes, but there is nothing right about it either.”

I am reminded of a Bible verse; I think it is Philippians 4:8, which tells us to “do what is excellent, fill our lives with what is excellent.” The verse actually says, "... whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. " I take that literally. It’s what every Christ follower should be doing. And if it isn’t totally excellent, then why would we waste our time on it? No, I’m convinced that our calling from God is much higher than simply running away from what’s wrong. That wouldn't be focusing on things that are excellent! If we're to fix ourselves on things that are excellent, then I think we’re called to chase lions!

Lion Chaser
Second Samuel 23:20 tells of a very obscure, but courageous act. You see, “Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it.” We don’t know what Benaiah was doing or where he was going when he encountered the lion. But it ranks as one of the more improbable reactions one could have. When faced with a present danger, most of us just instinctively seek to avoid it. You see, that is what normal people do. But lion-chasers, they don’t see the problem. They see God-ordained opportunities. Instead of just avoiding trouble with the threatening lion, Benaiah went after it with vigor.

Shortly after this incident, we see that David appointed Benaiah as his chief body guard. We don’t know if Benaiah was on his way to apply for the job as David’s body guard when he encountered the lion. But you’ve got to admit something: I chased a lion into a snowy pit and killed it would look pretty impressive on your resume if you’re applying for the position of chief body guard to the king.

You know, despite the fact that it’s an obscure verse with seemingly little meaning, I believe God has a purpose for it or He wouldn’t have included it in the Bible. So what can we learn from this verse? Why did God want us to know about this particular day in Benaiah’s life? One clue is that Benaiah goes on in history to become a very powerful --- and very blessed person. But his track record of success can be traced back to the lion on that snowy day. It was fight or flight for Benaiah. He was faced with a choice that would determine his destiny. Perhaps God wants us to know that often our stepping out in faith is the road to great blessings that He has in store for us.

No Guts, No Glory
There is an old adage: No guts, no glory. From a believer’s perspective, when we don’t have the guts to step out in faith and chase lions, then God is robbed of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him. We take from Him the opportunity to bless us with rich and meaningful lives. We do this with our sins of omission. If I am unwilling to start that business or ministry that God calls me to start, then it would be very difficult for God to make me a successful businessman or minister. It is that simple folks.

There’s a reactive Christianity that’s more known for what it is against than what it is for. It is found in most of our churches, our pulpits, our Sunday school classes and in the minds of most of us Christians in America. We’ve become far too defensive. We just play the defensive position, resisting the temptations. But lion chasers are on the offensive. They know that playing it safe is risky! Moreover, they know that beating back the gates of hell is their God-given mission.

So I think maybe we (including our churches and church leaders) have measured spiritual maturity the wrong way. Perhaps following Christ isn’t supposed to be as safe or as civilized as we’ve been led to believe. Maybe Jesus was more dangerous and uncivilized than our seeker-friendly church services portray. Maybe churches and the people in them could get a little outrageous and in faith, walk into the glorious future that God wants to give us. Maybe God is raising up a new generation of lion-chasers. If He is, Lord, I hope that I can be one of them!