Our little two and a half year old granddaughter likes to pretend that she is a lion. She takes great pleasure in roaring and growling, and she is delighted if grownups pretend to be afraid and run from her ferocious antics.

There are a lot of grownups who still like to pretend that they are lions, and they too take pleasure in growling and intimidating their fellows. Actually grown-ups are really just big kids, for it seems that in many respects we never grow up. We can see through the childish pranks of the 2% year old, and God surely sees through the childish ways of all of us. We become more expert at camouflaging our games as we grow older, but many times even other adults can see right through us. Certainly God always does.

Paul said that when he was a child he spake as a child, he thought like a child, he reasoned like a child; but when he became a man he gave up childish ways. We should all try to be more like Paul, for he told us to follow him even as he followed Christ. We do not read of any childish actions of Jesus; even at the age of twelve when most ”boys will be boys,” not Jesus, he was about his Father’s business.

Why is it we like to growl and scare others? At 2Vz it is cute, but it ceases to be funny when we do it as adults, and many of us are still growling and trying to scare our brethren and sisters. It has been said of many people that behind that gruff exterior lies a heart of gold. This is good to know, but why the gruff exterior? Why must we look past an unpleasant exterior to find something beautiful? If we have a heart of gold, why cover it up with a gruff exterior? If we are a lamb inside, why be a lion on the outside?

To our little granddaughter it is much more fun to roar like a lion than to baa like a lamb. It must be so among the grownup kids who are still roaring. We need to think the very thoughts of Christ, and Paul tells us that we can, but in doing this we must put away childish things like roaring and begin to act more lamb-like. The lion is proud and haughty, he struts around as the king of the beasts, while the little lamb has no defense and no pride. Whatever we have, we have received it from God. Paul tells us, ”What have you that you did not receive? If then you receive it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?” If we are stronger than our fellows, we should not use our strength to intimidate them. If we are wiser than our fellows we should not use our wisdom to intimidate them. If we are richer than our fellows, we should not use our riches to intimidate them. Yet we know that many people do use their strength, wisdom and riches to intimidate others. They are playing the role of the lion and scaring those they should be helping.

Just how do we use our strength, wisdom and riches? After all, the childish mind reasons, what good are these things if we don’t use them to impress others. Yet Jeremiah tells us exactly what we should do. ”Thus said the LORD, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, said the LORD.”

It’s fine to play lion when we are 2 1/2, but when we grow up let us not use our strength, wisdom or riches to roar at others, but let us glory in the fact that we know and understand the LORD who, when Jesus comes, will change us from the lamb role we now possess to be like him who will be the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. When we possess immortal bodies and are truly ”like him” then we can roar for ”The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”