The Lion Chaser’s Manifesto
by
Mark Batterson
“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.
Run to the roar.
Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-given passions.
Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.
Stop pointing out problems. Become part of the solution.
Stop repeating the past.
Start creating the future.
Face your fears. Fight for your dreams.
Grab opportunity by the mane and don’t let go!
Live like today is the first day and last day of your life.
Burn sinful bridges.
Blaze new trails.
Live for the applause of nail-scarred hands.
Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God.
Dare to fail. Dare to be different.
Quit holding out. Quit holding Back. Quit running away.
Chase the lion.”
I first heard this manifesto right after the super regional that occurs in college baseball. You can watch it here.
Dan McDonnell, the baseball coach of the University of Louisville, had one of his players read this during the press conference after the game. They all wore “Omaha Bound” baseball caps. Because they are…Omaha bound. In fact, they’re there now. Which is a very good thing if you’re a U of L fan, because the sanctions for the basketball program…
Nuff said.
I digressed.
And then I heard about the Lion Chaser’s Manifesto again today at a staff meeting where I work.
I work at an amazing place, with amazing people and amazing leaders.
So, I purchased Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson, (of course I did!) and began reading.
And immediately I’m stuck.
As you may have imagined, this book has a little to do with facing your fears. Feeling fear but doing it anyway. Not letting fear stop you from realizing your wildest, God-sized dreams.
Here’s where I got stuck…I think you first have to identify the fear.
What are you afraid of?
What am I afraid of?
What if we don’t know?
It’s not a given, easy to spot kind of thing. Not always.
And then another thought hit me: Maybe it’s okay to NOT know what you’re afraid of.
Maybe the important thing is to know we all have fears that we have to face in order to live the life we desire.
The main thing perhaps, is that we see the fear, know the fear, FEEL the fear and in spite of it all, keep moving forward.
Maybe in its simplest form, that’s the way to chase a lion.
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