Run to the Roar

Years ago, I heard an African proverb about a pride of lions. According to this proverb, when the "king" of the pride grew old and physically powerless, the one quality he maintained was his "ROAR". His role within the pride changed from being the leader of the pact, to a secret weapon of sorts. When the pride went hunting, the now toothless, clawless, powerless lion would hide in the path of an intended prey. As the prey approached, this old lion would ROAR. The prey became so frightened, he "ran away from the roar", into the arms of the young pride, and became their meal. If only the prey had "run to the roar", his fate may have been different.

Like this prey, we often run away from that which we fear, rather than facing our fears head-on.We neglect to have a conversation with our partner because we fear he or she may be offended. We want to go back to school but we fear what others may think. We know it is time to leave a certain job but we fear losing the security we think we have. Let me suggest the following approaches to addressing our fears:

F - Face your fear.. Fear is an "expectation" that something bad will happen, it is not based on what has actually occurred. Have that conversation with your partner.Express your feelings and allow the other participant in your relationship the opportunity to change.

E - Examine what is really going on. If you have that conversation with your partner about what you need and want, and he or she becomes offended, is it really the end of the world? Isn't it often the case that our greatest growth comes from our most challenging moments?

A - Ask yourself, What is the worst that could happen? and What is the best that could happen? Sometimes just siting down and listing the pros and cons gives us a more realistic perspective. And lastly...

R - Respond in faith, knowing that courage is not the absence of fear, but moving in a responsible and reasonable direction in spite of fear.

Written by The Rev. Clara T. Mills. To be used with permission only.