Unleashing the Lion ~ Valerie Ronald

Our neighbor’s new puppy grew quickly into a mature German Shepherd dog, purebred, high strung, yet often chained and ignored in their backyard. Elsa became frustrated and aggressive without proper obedience training and attention. One day as I was walking to my car, she bolted past the legs of her owner at the open door and ran right at me barking furiously, teeth bared, hackles raised. I threw my hands up and shouted at her, which made her stop in her tracks, giving the neighbor just enough time to grab her by the collar before she lunged at me. The encounter left me shaken. For days afterwards I carried a broom when I left the house, ready to defend myself from an unrestrained dog.

Unleashing an unpredictable force can lead to unexpected consequences.

At this point in my writing journey I see myself trying to control a lion of a story which, if unleashed, could grab me by the throat at any moment and shake me violently. Fear of unknown consequences often keeps me from giving the story freedom to be told. Yet at the same time, this story is the writing dream God makes quite clear He wants me to pursue.

What if the writing dream I’ve been given scares as much as it excites?

What if unleashing the dream releases painful remembrances of emotional trauma and pain?

What happens when my fingers are hesitant to unclasp the leash, yet the dream continues to strain against its restrictions, eager to be free?

I must be honest in admitting that I come to this dream reluctantly. It does not fill me with pleasure to chronicle the details of how I almost disappeared when I was married to a sociopath. I do not want to revisit the years of neglect, lies, betrayal and emotional abuse. Those painful times are in the past. God has since worked a healing in my heart and life, for which I am incredibly grateful. But the scars still twinge when I recall how they came to be there, and the memories stir up echoes of the deep pain of those heart wounds.

So what do I do with this dream that will not let me go? There must be a purpose in it.

God sometimes gives me glimpses of the lion set free and what it can accomplish for Him. Lions are dangerous animals but they have a place in the scheme of nature which no other animal can fulfill. Jesus was given the title the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”(Rev. 5:5), depicting Him with the majesty and strength of a lion, “mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing.” (Prov. 30:30)

Because this lion of a dream is given by God, then I must not retreat before the distracting strategies of the enemy, who would like nothing better than to see it die unfulfilled. In obedience I must go forward.

I am learning to look at this daunting task from God’s perspective. When I view writing about my difficult experiences as a way to help others suffering at the hands of a sociopath, it takes on a purpose far outweighing my own discomfort. It helps me to think of it as God’s story, told within the context of my own. Only His intimate care, love and protection saw me through those dark days. He is the hero whose presence is woven into every detail of my story. I believe its purpose is to offer hope to others trapped as I was, hope only He can give. Because Jesus saw me through the dark valley, He can do the same for them. So I pray for the fortitude to set aside my own past pain and unleash this lion of a story, then see what unexpected consequences God will bring about.

When God created me in Christ Jesus, He had good works prepared in advance for me to do. (Eph. 2:10 NIV) I have it in writing that such confidence is mine through Christ before God, not that I am competent in myself to claim anything for myself, but my competence comes from God. (my paraphrase of 2 Cor. 3:4-5) God gives assurance in His Word that when doubts arise I am to remember that His Spirit lives within me to help realize the dream He has given. My part is to respond in faith and obedience.

Is anything impossible for God? Can feelings of inadequacy or fear tether the Lion when His power is limitless and His purposes have teeth?

“Aslan is a lion --- the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh”, said Susan. “I thought he was a man. Is he --- quite safe?’

“Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you!”

~ C. S. Lewis – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe