Persuasion

What would it take for you to go into a cage with a tiger? Is there any amount of money or a change in life’s circumstances that would cause you to take that risk? Would it be easier if you had raised that tiger since it was a kitten? Either way, I don’t think too many of us would simply do it for free. In fact, I think that it takes a unique personality and mindset to live in that world.
And if you were wondering, yes, I did just watch the Tiger King series. And if you haven’t, I won’t ruin anything for you, other than to say, the cast of characters in that series are basically crazy. It seems like those in the world of raising big cats have a very unique way of living life (from their livelihoods to their ‘marriages’). And, like I said, I think you have to be very unique to be willing to do what they do.
But most of us would need some persuasion to do that. Sure, those baby tigers and lions are adorable and I personally would love to play with one. But those cute little kittens don’t stay little long. They grow to be over 400 lbs of muscle and teeth (at least that’s what I mostly see). That’s enough to make me think twice about getting too close.
But persuasion is a powerful influence on our lives, right? Consider some of your best and worst decisions in life. Maybe it was a teacher who pushed you to step out of your comfort zone to make a decision and it turned out great. Or maybe you’ve had ‘friends’ or a substances help to make some of your worst decisions in life.
And I just keep thinking about what life will look like once we’re able to go out again. And since I’m a pastor, my hope is that this period of quarantine will lead many of us to being more involved in a church. And if you’re thinking about getting more involved, which I pray you are, I wonder what is persuading you to do so. Is it the chaos of the last few weeks? Is it a feeling of worry that we need to be more connected? Maybe you feel God is leading you that way.
Whatever the persuading, I’d love to see more of our community connected with a local church. But I also want to put out a warning that it’ll be a difficult activity to maintain unless a commitment to a change happens. If we’re simply persuaded by just a feeling, it’ll be easy to stop when the feeling stops. But if we consciously decide that we want to be involved and connected, a new path can be formed. I pray that we take that first step. God bless.