Last Tuesday night, several of my friends and I were inspired and encouraged by author Lisa Bevere’s words regarding being a “lioness”. Lisa likened women’s roles in God’s Kingdom to those of a lioness protecting and defending her pride. For more details, read Lisa’s book, Lioness Arising.
As often happens when we hear someone so eloquent and inspirational, we were moved by the Spirit. We left that theater room high-fiving each other and growling like lionesses! But, the next day… we woke up just purring. What were moved to do exactly? As one of my friends said, “I feel like it was so good. But now I’m like, now what? I wish we had a day to day guide on being a lioness.”
In response to my friend’s query, here are my simple attempts to wake up roaring like a lioness every day:
1) First, roar quietly.
I’m a quiet person. I don’t make a lot of noise or waves, generally. Because I’m quiet, sometimes others assume I’m distracted or ditzy–and sometimes they’re assumption is correct! Who needs a ditzy lioness? God does! That is why as soon as I awaken, before I’m even out of bed, I start praying quiet (sleepy) prayers of thankfulness: “Thank you, Father, for this new day and everything in it. Help me to be a good steward of all I’ve been given, before I even get out of this bed.” If I’m alert enough, I delineate all that I’m thankful for, to include my surroundings and my family. If I still need a cup of coffee, the aforementioned prayer probably covers it. To be sure, there are days I wake up more wimpily and need to pray for strength, but focusing on gratitude generally gets me up and going more effectively.
My point: You don’t have to roar loudly, just roar softly with intentional gratitude before your feet hit the ground running. Lions and lionesses first move in stealth and silence.
2) Then , roar outwardly
I do for others. Before I feed myself or even drink my coffee, I’m up making breakfast and packing lunches. I don’t always want to, but I do it anyway. I know I don’t have to do anything; everyone in my household is perfectly capable. Seems small, right? But I do it to set the tone for the rest of the day–to get outside of my egocentricity. This small act of service to my family gets me in a missional mentality from the start. Because I’ve focused outside of my “self” right away, it’s easier to help someone else as the day progresses, i.e.: write thank you cards; help someone in a wheelchair reach an item; volunteer my time at church; invest in spiritually and physically hungry women and children on a global level. If you don’t have family around to practice being pride-oriented (as in a lionesses pride, not ego), get up and send an encouraging message to someone else, pray for them, or make them a meal or small gift.
The point is that we start the day with a mindset that propels us toward others, and away from our tendency to lounge around with no intentions of moving outward and forward. Often we need to get out of our self-centered, self-pity cave to get ready to roar.
3) Next, get ready for roaring loudly.
Because I’m a ditzy lioness, I can’t focus as well until everyone else has left the house. Then I must nourish my body and my mind. I eat some protein with a side of Bread of Life. You’d be surprised how much strength you can draw from simply having eaten. Most times I just open my Bible and read; other times I use Christian literature to help focus my spinning, over-caffeinated thoughts. This focused nourishment time isn’t ever long enough, and many times distractions interrupt, but I know if I don’t nourish, I can’t fight and defend my pride. Some of my favorite Christian authors, currently, for focus material: Ann Voskamp, John Ortberg, C.S. Lewis, John and Lisa Bevere. Read something you love, then look up a related or referenced scripture.
Focusing ourselves on God doesn’t have to be complicated or overtly spiritual (i.e., loud praising and grandiose acts). It starts with a grateful heart, and culminates in nourishing ourselves with living water. Our strength is not our own, fellow felines, it comes from above. So don’t forget to eat your Bread each day. Now you’re ready to roar.
4) Now, roar loudly!
We all have different gifts to be used for God’s kingdom. Sometimes those gifts are strikingly evident, or as my husband Curtis says, “a freakish talent”; other times we have to have help figuring them out. What I’ve learned lately is that being able to roar loudly often takes collaboration. My gift is words. I write to share God’s word and to encourage. I may have a soft voice and quiet demeanor, but I have back-ups in my fellow sisterhood (shout out to my G-3 sisters and my long-time Wiley friends!), and among the ministers, both men and women, whom I depend on to make my voice louder. Find someone who helps you roar louder, whatever your gift. Maybe you’re a prayer lioness. Get together with other prayer lionesses and roar your prayers. Maybe you’re a marvelous cook or huntress, get together with other cooking phenomes and bless others with your nourishment.
Our seemingly small gifts can be so simple, yet so profound when multiplied to a deafening roar. Don’t get discouraged because you feel small, get with other like-minded and gifted people (that’s all of us,) and work together for the greater good.
Being a lioness each day can mean preaching Christ to the nations, like Mighty Lioness Lisa Bevere, or using your gifts right where you are to make a lasting impact, like me and you. Individually, we might sound like kittens, but together we are lion-hearted.
RRR—OAAAR!
What do you do each day to create a roar?