As I sat down in front of my computer to write what is burning in my heart, with that loathsome cape of self-doubt hanging around my shoulders – what makes me think that I’m worthy of sharing my views with the world? – a randomly generated Windows Spotlight Image greets me. Yes, as you can see a mighty lion relaxing in the sun, face into the wind. Powerful and content. I couldn’t help but chuckle and you will soon see why.
The recently released film, The Roar, tells a powerful tale of Louise (Almarie du Preez), a young woman who has to make some important decisions about her future. Not only her future, her destiny. The viewers follow her journey of discovery in the setting of the bushveld family farm and lodge ran by her father, Ranger (Frans Cronjé), who struggles with finding his footing in life after the passing of his wife. Not to forget her fiancé, André (Heinz Winkler), who is not only a pillar of strength to Louise, but her comrade in the day-to-day running of the business as well.
The ever present threat of rhino poaching, deceit, and betrayal also plays a large part in the film and ends in a shooting match between the poachers, Ranger and André. There is however one scene, that I watched with covered eyes, where Ranger and André encounters a rogue lion on the farm.
Ranger runs into the face of danger, almost with a will to die, wanting to attract the attention of the lion to give André a clear shot. Things got a bit hairy and André managed to shoot the lion just in the nick of time, Ranger walking away from the ordeal only slightly bloodied and bruised by the lion...
Parallel to the film, another story plays out. That of my own.
A young woman who has to make some important decisions about her future. Not only her future, her destiny. I’ve always chosen the easy way out, the path of least resistance, Martha laboring away and missing out on valuable time with Jesus.
My life has been filled with a menagerie of events. Normal every day emotional and physical struggles, and some not so normal events just to add some spice in the mix. “Double, double, toil and trouble...”
There are two ways that I’ve identified to date that are clear ways of God “speaking” to me. The one is the numbers 8 and 1, and the combinations thereof, 18 and 81. My date of birth is 81-8-18. Every morning at 8:18 my eye would catch the clock in the corner of my computer screen and I would just close my eyes, block out the outside world, and repeat my mantra over and over: Thank you God, thank you Jesus, thank you Holy Spirit, thank you Lord. And I know He is with me. Everything is going to be OK. Just breathe.
The other is lions.
Apart for my star sign which is ironically a lion, one of the not so normal events in my life involves a lion attack. I was on a hiking trip in the Kruger National Park when a lioness attacked our group. Yes, I was naive enough to be on foot in the Kruger. Two armed rangers lead the “expedition”, one of whom has the scars to tell the tale. Things got a bit hairy and one of the rangers walked away from the ordeal very much bloodied and bruised by a lion.
The fact that one, or more, of us weren’t killed that day is a mystery to me. But it was a very convincing wake-up call. It took a lion attack to get my attention!
But that is a story for another day, what I want to get to is how the film, The Roar, spoke to me on a personal level. Once again a lion had to be added in the mix to get my attention. This time round, to show me that I’m on the right track.
The strain of walking in one direction whilst my whole being is pulled in another recently just got too much. I had to learn how to give up. To stop trying to stand on my own two feet and climb onto His.
It is a process. Over thirty years of fighting for my independence and to get my voice heard as a woman in a male dominated environment, and still try to please everyone around me, isn’t something to get rid of overnight. Currently I don’t know where my next meal is coming from, but I haven’t experienced a moment of hunger and it is the happiest I’ve been in my life! He provides. I don’t know why, or how, but He does. And all that I have to do is follow the path He has prepared for me, and trust in Him.
What exactly that path is I don’t know, but every day is a new day with new opportunities to find out. It isn’t easy, every day is filled with a thousand moments of doubt, angst, downright panic! But in the end it works out. I don’t know how, but it just does.
Why am I sharing this with you? I need to tell you this: Just stop for a while and take stock. Are you busy running away from your purpose? Are you on your way to Tarshish, like Jonah? If so, it is time to jump overboard!
2018 is the year earmarked for finding my purpose, and yours if you want to. The Roar is part of the Purpose Campaign. Let this be your wakeup call.
Hear God’s mighty roar!
Just Begin
and your soul’s filled with fire
let the flames burn bright
never cease to fight
There may come a day
things will lead you astray
just stand tall
you have it all
Stay true to your course
for His love has no remorse
you are enough
call that bluff
You have a cross to bear
but don’t despair
He’s there for you
just stay true
Lift that cross up high
towards the sky
for He is there
and He cares
Your cross can be your muse
if only you so choose
so let it be
use the Three
Once you gain some momentum
there’s nothing to prevent Him
to use it all
just heed His call
He has love in mind
so don’t be blind
jump right in
just begin!
a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire #nationinspiration
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