Pride
The lions huddle in their formation, walking tall and hunting with the confidence of their provision. The pride is the pack that roars at the sun’s descent an acknowledgment of their brethren sun parting and rising in another’s eyes. Their sense of pride resides within. An inherent knowledge that to be a child of God is to be a proud tribute to the Father, honoring his word. But pride can take so many other forms. A boastful weaponization used to marginalize communities, a delusional sense of capabilities, an exaltation of worldly possessions, or an arrogant sense that one is more deserving, or rightful of what they do not have, and do not work for. So much can be thrown at us in a day that even the most humble can be caught up in pride’s defense. Our pride is a weapon in very real assaults and the imagined. Then pride becomes the necklace, and violence is the garment.
Leave me in the desert without my fellow lioness so that I can remember the pride in me I inherited from the stars. Strip me of the things whereupon I place it, so I can feel where it truly belongs. So, I can feel it in its designed sense shining in the darkness. So like the lion who roars goodbye to the life force that nurtures growth, and illuminates the hunt, I can feel my essence in my roar. The acknowledgment that I am a part of the king’s kingdom, a unique part of glorious creation.
And like the lions who recognize the sun’s existence radiating through their being, living as its symbol, let me recognize the magnificence within me. Let the rays of light that nurture my soul lead me in the direction of its enlightenment. Let me feel the pride ordained from the stars, so it is not a weapon but my immunity to assaults. Let me recognize that all gifts come from the light, be humbled by its generosity, and a proud heir in the kingdom.
