Walking with the Lions
Through the years I have viewed wild animals in several different countries in Africa, South America and Asia either where we have lived or on a safari with other tourists. Now when I am traveling, I don’t really look for opportunities to go on a safari, but sometimes on projects with Chick-fil-A owner/operators and corporate staff, I would go on photo safaris just to be with my colleagues.
Our team was in Zimbabwe teaching the servant leader principles to the leadership of a game park. They offered us a free “event” because they were so pleased with our sharing with them. All but one of my colleagues chose to go on a photo safari. One of the “events” was a walk with the lions. I was intrigued and asked for more information, and I found out that this was the only place in the world where one could walk with lions in the wild—no cages, no fences. This was an opportunity that I could not pass up. One of my colleagues was brave enough to join me in this adventure.
My colleague and I met at dawn with four other tourists who had signed up for a walk with the lions for our orientation about the walk. We would be walking with two three-year-old lionesses that had been taken away from their mothers at three weeks of age and raised by three handlers at the game park. They are still wild animals even though they have been around humans all their lives. We were instructed on how to act around the lions—never approach them from the front (they get very angry about this and show their teeth—as I experienced first-hand), always walk beside them so they can see you and never walk in front of their front legs. And, of course, don’t make quick movements or loud noises. That was the sum of our 10-minute orientation.
They gave us a small walking stick—that was the only “weapon” that the handlers had also—and we were on our way. During the walk we took turns walking beside one of the lions (see photos below). You have to know that I don’t like cats—all my family knows this—but I reached down and rubbed the back of the lioness. In a weird way I think the lioness actually liked that. But, as I walked with the lion, I could not help but think about lions in the Bible. I don’t know of a verse where a lion is presented as a gentle creature to pet. Every instance that I could think of was one that referred to the prowess of a lion or the roar or the bite—that gave me the creeps, and here I was walking with the lion. I was sane, but maybe not smart.
Suddenly, the two lions stopped, stared at some brush, and took off running at full speed. Just as quickly they stopped and froze a few hundred yards from us. The handler pointed with his stick at a small herd of gazelles. He told us not to be frightened that the lions would not make a kill today as they had just taken down a wildebeest three days before. He added, “Lions in the wild usually only eat every five days.” I was happy that I did not take my walk with the lions on the fourth day after they had eaten!
One of the treats that I brought away from this experience was some good photos to show the grandchildren, but the best one was this: I Peter 5:6-11 has been a good example of how I am supposed to act before the almighty God of the universe. But after being that close to a lion, verse eight really became so much clearer to me: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” It struck me: Our fear of lions is greater than our fear of the devil.
