Lesson from a Lion Trainer. Clyde Beatty was born in Bainbridge, Ohio in 1903. When he was a teen, he left home to join the circus where he landed a job as a cage cleaner. In the years that followed, Beatty quickly progressed from a lowly cage boy to a popular entertainer. Beatty became famous for his “fighting act” in which he would tame fierce, wild animals. Beatty’s act included a segment during which he brought lions, tigers, cougars, and hyenas into the circus ring all at once and tamed the entire bunch. But here’s the most impressive feat of all. . . In an era when the majority of lion tamers died in the ring, Beatty lived into his 60s. In the end, it was cancer that took his life, not a lion. How did he manage to survive? Clyde Beatty was one of the first lion tamers to bring a chair into the circus ring. The Whip and the Chair The whip gets all of the attention, but it’s mostly for show–it’s the chair that does the important work. When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of a lion’s face, the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair simultaneously. With a divided focus, the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next. When faced with so many options, the lion freezes. Stop Gazing at the Chair How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion? Most of the time, we are confused about which leg is the most important. It doesn’t have to be that way. When faced with so many options, remember this: you just need to commit to one thing instead of trying to focus on so many things. Paul urges us to live with that kind of focus and intentionality. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-26 he says, “Do not run like someone running aimlessly.” Philippians 3:13-14 says “ . . . forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” It’s clear that Paul urges us to live with focus and intentionality. So what is the one thing you need to focus on this year? What is the single thing you need to do to follow God’s plan for your life? •Break a habit •Accomplish a goal you have been putting off •Restore a broken relationship •Get help for an addiction •Pay off your debts •Start a business •End a relationship •Begin working out •Find a church home Sometimes being successful is as simple as focusing on one thing! What’s one thing that you know in your heart you need to do? If you could accomplish it, it could change your life. Then you could confidently say with the Apostle Paul, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize.”
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 14:09:20 +0000
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