Run to the Roar

Run to the Roar

     I was introduced to this concept by my friend, John Cadwalader, several years ago when we were taking groups out on a ropes course.  It means, "Run into your fears, no away from them." I think sometimes we back away from situations so quickly and so automatically, we may not identify the culprit as fear.  There are conscious voices and subconscious voices influencing us, so some voices may be audibly heard like negative chatter in our brains.

     Obviously in many areas, we may be running into the roar in life.  After all, getting out of bed in the morning and brushing your teeth, can be an act of courage some days!  But here I am speaking of the myriad walls we hit, most of them small, but some rather large daunting walls.  Those of us who have been through the Encounter workshop have learned to ask, "What are the payoffs for backing away and what are the prices we are paying for backing away?"  We complete thoughts like, "If I do not change this behavior in my life, what I can expect is......" and "if I do change this behavior in my life , what I can expect is......"

     Al Siebert, Ph.D. writes in his book, The Survivor Personality, that the payoffs for having a negative attitude include:  attention, avoiding failure, it takes less energy, don't feel burdened by others problems, avoid responsibility for bad outcomes, and avoiding difficulty.  Wow! Sounds like the easy way out, doesn't it?  But if you look closely, this could be a narcissistic lonely life when you account for all the isolation it would entail.

     We have to constantly weigh things like, "How much do I want x?' I like us use a scale of 1 to 10 and declare it in my head.  Problem is, with some things, I have quit wanting x because climbing over the wall seems too daunting, so I just told myself that I didn't really want it.  I think they call that "self-sabatage", or better yet, "lying to yourself." I love this passage concerning hitting walls:

     "For You will light my lamp; the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.  

      For by You I can run against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall." Psalm 18: 28-29

     So let's think about all those things we SAY we want:  to quit smoking, to quit drinking (so much!), to have a better job, to have more fun, to have more friends, to have a better marriage, to meditate more in God s word.  You see, running into the roar can mean thousands of different paths.  Running to the roar always always means we must summons courage, enter struggles, enter fears, and let go of some safe piece of ground that we call our comfort zon.e  I was so drawn to a passage in Uprising by Erwin McManus, titled "A Passion to live."  He says, "So many of us have abdicated our passions for obligations, as if passion is a luxury for the young, and we must all grow up on day.  We, even if reluctantly, fall into place to live a life of conformity what we describe as "maturity."  We've made acting like an adult synonymous with living apathetic lives."  Ouch!  What an indictment!

     I believe if we all pay attention to the many things we find ourselves backing away from, we will really be awakened.  And if we summons up the courage to move toward those things, I think our lives will change.  I think we will create a new experience for others, but importantly, we will experience ourselves in a different more powerful impacting way.  Try it.  I think you will be please with the results!