The Lion
Lions are apex predators, they aren’t threatened by any other animals, but the abundance of food and fights with other lions can have a dramatic effect on a lion’s life expectancy.
This is especially true for male lions, who use their physical fitness to dominate their pride. Hmmmmh !!! By now you are confused on the meaning of the term “pride” in this parlance? Ok but Wait ooo. It’s not about the lion being proud.
A group of mostly female lions is called a pride. The pride contains female lions and their young offspring, and usually has fewer than 20 members.
When a male lion ages, his power is challenged by other, younger lions. The younger lions usually prove stronger, and the older male is cast out from the pride. Without the support of the pride, the lion struggles.
And so what?
Hmmmm, I mean to remind you that POWER IS TRANSIENT AND EPHEMERAL.
No matter how long it lives, the greatest lion will eventually die miserably. That’s the world.
At their peak, they rule, chase other animals, catch, devour, gulp and leave their crumbs for hyenas. But age comes fast.
The old Lion can’t hunt, can’t kill or defend itself. It roams after being cast out and roars until it runs out of luck as it struggles. It will be cornered by the hyenas, nibbled at and eaten alive by them. They won’t even let it die before it is dismembered.
LIFE IS SHORT. POWER IS EPHEMERAL. PHYSICAL BEAUTY IS SHORT-LIVED, I have seen it in lions. I have seen it in old people.
On the other hand, female lions don’t leave their birth pride and don’t feud with other lions for territory. This leads to a longer life expectancy on average. Therefore, BE WISELY GENTLE WITH LIFE, and YOU WILL LIVE LONG everything being equal, for even Christ Jesus said that blessed are the Meek, for they shall inherit the Earth” (Matthew 5:5).
But many assume that “meek” means weak, tame, or deficient in courage. The biblical understanding of MEEKNESS IS POWER UNDER CONTROL. In the Old Testament, Moses was described as the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). Jesus described himself as “meek and lowly” (Matt. 11:28-29), which was consistent with his vigorous action in cleansing the temple (Matt. 21:12-13). Yet, remember that the female lion is not weak but meek.
Power under control means two things:
(1) refusal to inflate our own self-estimation; and
(2) reticence to assert ourselves for ourselves.
Nevertheless, everyone who lives long enough will become weak and very vulnerable at some point.
Therefore, let us be humble. Help the sick, the weak, the vulnerable and most importantly never forget that we will leave the stage one day.
Fr. Henrycharles Umelechi
Truth Series.