In Like a Lion out like a..... Buffalo

In Like a Lion out like a..... Buffalo

March and April never cease to amaze me when it comes to the weather. It’s a mix between playing the lottery and Russian roulette. The weather not only taunts my need for sunshine, but it nags my aching joints. Living in Johnstown this time of year is like living in the middle of Katy Perry’s hit…Spring, “you're hot then you're cold...You're yes then you're no...You're in then you're out...You're up then you're down…”

While Spring is not one of my most favorite seasons to experience, it is my most favorite season to learn from. Spring is hard. Winter forces us to look inwardly for growth. It is a quiet season. Introspective. The blanket of snow is a reminder that we are covered ( we are washed white as snow by Christ’s blood)…but spring…spring reveals what was covered and it’s time to grow. Spring is the transformation of being born again—the newness we have in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! It’s time to push up out of the dirt. Spring is raw…exposed. The ground and tree limbs are bare, vulnerable, and appearing weak. You can’t quite see the fruits of Winter’s labors. The bible makes it very clear that a tree is known by it’s fruit. In our beginning baby stages, we are still vulnerable…susceptible not only to temptation and the devil, but moldable and a vessel for the Holy Spirit to work through us. It’s in our hands in what we allow. I love the Bible verse “for when we are weak we are strong” 2 Corinthians 12:10. There is much truth to that. Vulnerability. Being able to admit or bring things to light requires much more strength and courage than it does to keep things hidden and suppressed. From our Christian walk, when we allow Christ to work through us, we are tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit!! What can be stronger than that! Seedlings appear weak and vulnerable…then they get buried…broken…and are forced to reach for the light. Accepting Christ and dying to ourselves requires breaking and vulnerability but that is where the fruits are produced. Nature…the trees and flowers reminds us that this is the cycles of life. Plural…cycleS …it happens over and over again. The ebbs and flows. We must prepare for seasons of life. Seasons of death to self. Growth. Repentance. Grace. Transformation. We must have the winters. What happens in the dark is revealed in the light. That means the fight, the struggle, will soon bloom in the light. It is important that the fight in the dark is done with integrity, humility, and good intention. Because the light will reveal what is sowed.

This time of year is also crazy for sports. It truly reveals character, integrity, and what is done in the dark. From March Madness basketball upsets to wrestling national championship shockers. We witness a multitude of emotions. Sometimes it has to do with a little bit of luck. Sometimes, a seed cannot control the soil it lands on, but it’s how it handles the adversity that can really make it shine. I’m always amazed and stopped in my tracks when I see a tree growing out of a rock… or those amazing weeds that pop through the cracks of the cement. That is resilience! We love to celebrate wins, but I am truly touched by character in the losses. I truly believe far more character is earned and far more lessons are learned through losses than through wins. No matter if victory is won or upsets are inherited, growth is the most important part. It’s how you face the adversity. The storms. I love when athletes use their platform for Christ. I love when you can see the authenticity of their hearts. FCA taught me a lot about sport…while God may not care about the scoreboard, He does care what you do during your time playing. You can glorify God in ANY situation…that means even playing sports. From your character on the field with your teammates, opponents, and officials to your effort. God gave you the skillset and we honor Him when we give our all. He gave us His all. God truly gets glory when you see the grind and effort as well as adversity.

Spring is pretty synonymous with crazy and unpredictable storms. I believe the lion and the lamb analogy needs to be changed to “in like a buffalo and out like a buffalo”. Did you know that buffalo face storms head on? When they see a storm coming…they waste no time and run toward the storm. Focused and determined. The buffalo know the storm is coming. They know that running away from the storm will only buy a little time, but waste energy. The storm is coming no matter what. The buffalo knows this, so with its full strength and energy it runs to...and through the storm. Running away from something doesn’t mean that you leave it behind. It is still there… creeping up. Quietly nagging you…distracting you…. Wasting energy and focus. Peter was a buffalo. During the storm of the sea of Galilee, he stepped out of the boat. Peter taught us so many valuable things during this moment. Take the step. Face the storm…evening if you don’t want to or aren’t entirely sure. When your eyes stay focused on Jesus you will conquer anything…even the impossible!! He also teaches us the second we take our eyes off of Jesus that the storm and our surroundings can consume us. But Jesus. He is still there even when we falter…all we have to do is reach for Him and Trust Him.

What if we changed our approach to life like this? Storms are inevitable. Dirt is necessary for growth. Cycles and seasons are inevitable. Over and over again the Bible says WHEN you face trials (James 1:2-8, Romans 5:3, 1 Peter 1:6-7 to name a few). Never once does it say you will have no worries when you believe. Faith is a means to get you through trials. Focus is a means to get the blessing through the trials. Blessings follow obedience. What if we embraced the storm and ran through them with full focus and energy ad obedience in Christ? There are no shortcuts in life. There are no shortcuts to avoid storms. There are no shortcuts for the seed to avoid the dirt. All must be embraced. We must endure the breaking to prepare for the making. We must accept vulnerable spots. We must work hard in the dark when no one is looking. While spring is raw…and bare in the beginning…it persists. And in due time, blooms clothe branches and the landscape. Again, we reap what we sow...and our character speaks for itself when it faces adversity and the storms of life. Take courage. Be a buffalo.