Born to be wild

So, we went to a wild life safari recently and the animals in captivity reminded me of the message shared by Milt Rodriguez at Threshold 2011. It was pathetic to see these animals living in an artificial habitat, lying around motionless, not hunting or being the wild animals that they are supposed to be - a case of lost or mistaken identity as a result of being in captivity. They wait for the humans to bring their food. At one point when the elephants saw the white striped truck approaching them, they ran towards it knowing that they were going to be fed. The elephants munched on the "pre-packaged, processed food" that the humans threw at them. Humans have tried their best to create a habitat for these animals, but everything smells of human there, nothing like the wild. The lions that are supposed to live in a group called a 'pride', now live in isolation. They perhaps have lost their natural instincts and forgot the smell of a live prey. They have forgotten what it is like to go on a prowl, crouch upon the prey and make a kill, and bring back the meat to be shared with the pride. Since they do not have to run after the prey, their muscles have probably atrophied. Since they get "ready made" food, they probably, have become lazy. Folks, they were born to be wild.

My story, as a christian, when I was in captivity, is similar to the story of these lions. I was in the institutional church setting, pretty domesticated. Little did I know that I belonged to the 'pride' of the Lion of Judah (although I had head-knowledge of it). I did not have to hunt for my 'food' - Jesus, since I was expecting to be 'fed' every Sunday morning. I got 'processed and prepared food' thrown into my mouth, with no effort required on my part. Since I didn't have to move a finger to get my food, I became quite lazy and my muscles atrophied. I began losing my spiritual instincts and started forgetting and losing my identity. I had been tamed, domesticated and institutionalized. As a lion, I was supposed to be living in a pride or a community of believers, but I found myself living a solitary Christian life. The only contact I had with the kind of my own was for a few minutes before and after the 'service' which was limited to handshakes. After that I was on my own. I did not know how to find my food and share it (share Christ) with my pride, since there was no pride at all. I did not see how I could do the 50 or more "one anothering" in the New Testament, like carry "one another's" burden in this artificial environment. I thought I was living in the right habitat, but little did I realize that it did not smell like the wild, but it smelled of 'humans', the work of man's hands. Little did I realize that little by little I was being stripped of my identity as a 'royal priest' and my spiritual instincts being suppressed.

But thank God, He opened my eyes to see that I was 'born to be wild'(singing 'born to wild - steppenwolf now). I was to live in the wild, my Canaan land, a land where there is abundance of food, my inheritance - Jesus Christ. I was to live in my natural habitat, the ekklesia, hunting down my food -Jesus Christ and sharing it with my brethren in the ekkesia. I was to live a shared life with my brethren, in the same pattern of sharing that goes one between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Trinity - a life of shared love, life, fellowship, communion, relationship. Since then my muscles are slowing gaining strength. I'm honing my hunting skills with my brethren. Our 'pride' needs help to be rehabilitated in the wild fully. I pray that the Lord will bring 'special lion handlers', the apostolic workers, to do just that.

P.S. Milt Rodriguez is an apostolic worker, who co-labors with Frank Viola, Jon Zens and Alan Levine.