In the last study, we saw that Samson killed a lion with his bare hands but told no one of his feat because, for him, it was not a big deal. Then we read,
Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass (Judges 14:8-9).
In a sense, the lion was part of Samson's testimony of who he was when the Spirit empowered him. Then he went back to it and, to his surprise, it contained a source of sustenance and enjoyment not only for him but for others. The same is true for you.
You have already wrestled lions, so to speak, by overcoming life's challenges. Now when you commemorate those episodes, there can be something sweet for you to use to fuel your creative purpose. For example, you lost your job or were betrayed in a relationship, but you went on to start a thriving company of your own or you wrote poetry about your breakup. Your lion of the past has honey for today, and God doesn't want you to ignore it but to use it as a resource that continues to fuel your present success.
What lions have you wrestled and overcome in the power God gives? Are those wrestling matches now part of your repertoire of stories you use to inspire yourself and others? What other "sweetness" can you extract from your past that at the time seemed anything but sweet?
Remember, what you do in the Lord may not seem special to you because for you it was simple, a part of who God made you to be—like Samson's lion. But your lions played an important role in your development so you want to give them a place of honor in your trophy showcase of testimonies.
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