Dear Friends,
Many years ago, while eating lunch with a client in New Orleans, our conversation turned to the topic of “Bucket Lists.” I mentioned that my bucket list included a desire to pet a Bengal tiger. On the way back to his office, my client asked me if I was serious about wanting to pet a tiger.
“Dead serious,” I replied.
Rather than returning to his office, we drove away from the city into a bayou area, eventually pulling up to a remote site – the offices of Twin Tiger Trucking Company. In the center of the complex, there was a large cage, with two full-grown Bengal tigers.
“Still want to pet a tiger?” He challenged.
“UH! Yep!” I replied.
My client introduced me to the tiger’s trainer who took us up to the cage. I got ready to reach in and pet a tiger as it passed. But rather than stopping by the side of the cage, the trainer opened the door and led us inside the cage.
“Don’t make any quick moves,” he cautioned as we gingerly moved to one side of the cage. The larger of the two cats approached and brushed against my leg.
“Don’t worry, he’s a pussycat,” the trainer offered.
Ever so slowly, I reached down and stroked the back of the tiger. I had expected it to be soft and cuddly like a teddy bear, but it was coarse, much like the hair on deer. As the tiger moved past me and approached my client, she suddenly whipped her head around, opened her mouth, and latched onto my client’s leg.
With cat-like speed, the trainer raised a stick he was carrying and yelled, “NO!” The tiger released her grip and raced to the other side of the cage. We rapidly exited the cage. There were bruises on the leg the tiger had bitten, but luckily no major damage. Getting into a cage with two Bengal tigers doesn’t rank among the smartest things I’ve ever done; but it was a way to achieve one of the goals I had set for myself, and I was willing to trust a total stranger with my life.
The question is, to whom are we willing to trust our lives? Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding… (Proverbs 3:5) is often easier said than done. One of the problems we have as finite humans is that we cannot wrap our minds around the concept of an infinite God – a God who created the universe and everything in it. He’s just too big!
“We only hear a small whisper of him. So who can understand God’s thundering power?” Job 26:14b (ICB)
We live in a three dimensional world. – up, down, and sideways. How can we fully understand a being who exists outside of time, a being that has five, ten, or perhaps hundreds of dimensions? But God wants us to know him, so he sent his Son Jesus and gave us the freedom to accept or reject him. God wanted us to come to know him, because in knowing him, we could learn to love and to trust him.
Life, like the tiger in my story, can be unpredictable. Fortunately, God is totally predictable: “God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b (NIV)
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,” Psalm 46:2
Perhaps it’s time to update our (Christian) Bucket List:
- Draw Near to God. “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22”
- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
- Be Forgiving. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13
- Be Thankful. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,” Hebrews 12:28
- “Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!” Psalm 32:11
- Search the Scriptures … as you add to your own bucket list.
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Dedicated to our dear friend, the one-and-only, Bennye “Wildcat” Rose; who went to be with the Lord this past Monday.
Because He Loves Us Press 