Be a Llama
I am often blown away by real world solutions. We tend to get so caught up in science and research and the latest and greatest miracle of modern man that we forget that God has provided the solution to every problem we will ever face. One of my favorite God solutions comes in the form of jellyfish stings. Growing up in Florida, jellyfish stings are pretty common. When the jellies attack, there’s no need to rush to the ER or drug store. God provided the solution for you. All you have to do is pee on the sting and immediately it reduces the pain! While this might not be your first choice in remedies, God did put the solution right there inside of you.
Recently I heard of a real world solution that I think we all need to know because its all about fear. For shepherds there is a constant struggle to keep their sheep safe from predators. Everything wants to eat sheep. They are slow, not too smart, and without any defenses to speak of. So they are on the menu for wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, even badgers have been known to eat sheep. This leaves a tall task for the shepherd. Do they build a massive wall and keep the sheep pinned up? Surely they would be protected, but that cuts the sheep off from the fresh air and green grass. That’s no life to live, hiding from the fear and danger. The shepherd could keep constant watch, waiting for the predator to come at any moment, but who could ever be so vigilant and imagine the stress of constantly waiting for danger. The solution comes from the most unlikely of places: Llamas.
You probably don’t know much about llamas other than you’ve seen them a few times while driving through farm country. And who can tell the difference between a llama and an alpaca?? But the incredible thing about llamas is how they respond to fear. When a llama senses danger, when a predator like a wolf is near the llama will rise up to all of its height, turn to face the wolf, lowers its head and neck and begins slowly marching straight towards the wolf. The poor wolf is shocked! What is this crazy beast that just shot up to 8 feet tall and is now marching towards me? The wolf runs. Every time.
Observing this crazy act of courage, the shepherd will put a few llamas in with their herd of sheep. They know that when danger comes the sheep will be safe because the llama will ALWAYS face their fear, march forward, head down, TOWARDS the danger and in that way, the danger always flees.
Fear is one of the hardest parts of human life. Fear of failure, rejection, death, sickness, viruses. You name it and humans fear it. But God did not create you with a spirit of fear. In fact, He tells us NOT TO FEAR 365 times in the bible. I firmly believe He chose that number on purpose. God knows that there will be worries and fears that creep into our minds every day, many of them very real and very valid. But, its what we choose to do when fear comes that will dictate our lives.
When fear comes we have two choices. We can either Forget Everything And Run, forget who you are, what you believe, forget who created and watches over you or we can Face Everything And Rise. Face your fears with a bold determination knowing good and well that when we step into our power, into our calling, that God goes before us and that the fear MUST FLEE when we defy it.
Whatever fear you are facing, know that you were not created with a spirit of fear but with a spirit of power, and love, and of sound mind. So today, Face Everything and Rise. Be a llama.
In Health and Faith,
Dr. Marc
