Becoming a lion chaser
I finally started reading Mark Batterson’s “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” today. (You can download the entire first chapter here.) This book has been on my reading list since coming back from the Catalyst Conference last year. We heard Mark speak at one of the pre-conference sessions. WOW! This man’s heart is amazing. He’s pastoring National Community Church in Washington DC, a church that meets in theaters that are nearby metro stops. Check out their Web site.
The reason for this post is that Batterson rocked my world today. This one idea, emerging from the story of a man killing a lion with his bare hands, shook me up. Batterson says:
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.
The line that shook me up: “You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right.” This past year-and-a-half, I’ve changed. I’ve settled happily in to “adult life.” For the first time, I have a real job, a real pay check, and real bills. It’s changed me. Since I’ve become a bona fide “adult,” I’ve stopped taking risks, stopped chasing lions.
In college, I was the guy who decided, against all advisors, to follow God to Vermont for two years with barely any sign of a paycheck to work with people who were completely different from me. That risk payed off hugely for me and hopefully also for the people that I worked with. I consider it the most influential time in my life. I was a lion-chaser.
Hopefully as I finish the rest of Batterson’s book, I’ll learn how to chase lions where I am, in the course of my 9-to-5 duties and in the world that surrounds me. I challenge you, as I challenge myself, don’t get so wrapped up with life and security that you miss the lions that are all around you. Remember that you can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right.
I’m sure you already know this, but Mark’s on Twitter under MarkBatterson. You should check out twellow.com as well.
Matt,
You will love that line of thinking. I have heard it from a couple of different speakers this past year. Be prepared to DO SOMETHING!