Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Today was the finale for my daughter's high school's production of the Wizard of Oz. I am extremely proud of her for her participation in this musical as a featured dancer.

I think most of us can identify with one of the main characters of this story. For me it is the lion. There are times in my life when I allow fear to rob me of the blessings that belong to me because I forget who I am. I start looking at the problem instead of at the answer. Or even worse, I allow imagination to conjure up the illusion of a problem that isn't there at all.

In the play, the lion helped to rescue Dorothy from the Wicked Witch, which was a courageous act. But he didn't see himself as courageous and he didn't feel courageous. Yet he overcame his fear enough to act and to do something that needed to be done. It was only afterward that he felt courageous when the Wizard awarded him a medal. But he was still the same lion; a medal didn't change that. The lion acted and the feelings followed.

Proverbs 28:1 says "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion." I had this verse prophesied over me fifteen years ago at a time when I felt anything but bold. I still remember that word and the reaction I felt at the time. And I still don't feel bold, but I am bold because God's Word says that I am.

This morning at church we did the song "You Are Here (The Same Power)". The words are simple but powerful:

The same power that conquered the grave
Lives in me, lives in me.
Your love that rescued the earth
Lives in me, lives in me.

This morning as we played the song that message resonated anew within me. It is truth. Romans 8:11 is where it is found: "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

There is a scene in the Disney movie Lion King where Mufasa appears as a vision to Simba when he has run away from the kingdom. Mufasa says, "Why have you forgotten me?" Simba replies, "I haven't forgotten you." Mufasa tells him, "You have forgotten who you are and thus you have forgotten me." I remember watching that when my kids were small and being impressed that I had been like Simba, forgetting that I am a son of the King. Not just any king, but the King of Kings. Galatians 3:26 tells me, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." The sons of kings have authority. They have an inheritance. They don't cower in fear of the unknown. They act in a manner consistent with who they are and the authority that comes with their position.

I'm challenging myself to remember who I am and to act accordingly.