Sue Knisley -Guest Contributor
Iron Man, Black Panther, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Superman …
Lioness is who I’d be in the world of superheroes.
Before I knew Jesus, even way after… when I looked in the mirror, I saw a scared little kitten. I acted out what I saw. Going through my days, remembering to pray once in awhile, when it suited me, or when I needed/wanted something.
What a pathetic, empty life it was. Void of joy, serenity, confidence. I ‘hid’ a lot. That’s what kittens do. All that time, Lioness waited in the wings. Jesus surrounded my very being 24/7. I may have made Him an afterthought, intentional or not, but I was never an afterthought to Him.
I let so many things get in the way of my relationship with Jesus. Food was my primary drug of choice. Busyness also got snorted on a regular basis. Parts of me feel tears while writing this. I didn’t use illegal street drugs. Well, they DID give me fentanyl when I got a spinal epidural. Isn’t that stuff for horses? Booze didn’t do it for me. But junk food? Watch out. I stayed numbed out for years.
Different times at church, Ryan would say something that struck a nerve or piqued my interest. I might join a life group, volunteer, even crack open a Bible. Who knew God was talking to me all those times? He had time for me, a scared kitten?
Yeah, He did.
Whenever I’d draw near to Him, He’d welcome me with a huge, squishy hug. It would bring me to tears of gratitude, relief, puzzlement that He could love even me. Me, who’s done some awful things, really bad stuff.
When Jesus came down to Earth and chose to die on the cross to pay the ransom for all our sins, we got this amazing gift of forgiveness and the promise of Heaven.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
This was such a boatload of freedom to me. I spent so many years of my life paying lip service to those Scriptures, but not truly believing them for me. I felt like I made God shake His head and walk away in disgust when He looked at me.
That was a lie of the enemy, one of many, and I believed it for a lot of years. Here’s the truth: God loves me! I am not a scared little kitten anymore. Yes, I’m still human and I’ll always have imperfections while I’m on this side of the grave. Yet, accepting Jesus’ forgiveness of my sins and believing who I truly am in Christ…
Psalm 139.14 I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
I am Lioness! More than able to carry out God’s message. Hear me roar, take THAT puny enemy. Get out of my way.
Here’s the thing: just like my heroes Iron Man, Super Man and the rest of the gang, if I choose to be on my own, I’m just a scared kitten. I have to stay connected to my power source, Jesus Christ, if I want to be Lioness.
Be the scared kitten or be the Lion or Lioness...meow or roar...it’s your choice