How a Lizard Taught Me to Love Boldly
In the same year, our daughter moved away for college, we lost our beloved dog of twelve years. You know I miss them when I resort to holding my son’s pet lizard. A bearded dragon, to be exact. We purchased him (him? her? can you really tell?) years ago when my son aspired to be a zoologist. After he observed an owner carrying one around in his hoodie, he decided it was the pet for him. As the novelty wore off, however, the lizard spent less and less time out of his cage and became more of an exhibit than a family pet.
Apparently, when you’re missing your daughter and your dog, somehow a bearded dragon becomes a strange substitution. I doted on him, made sure he had crickets, and even purchased a better heat lamp to make sure he wasn’t too cold. I saw a cute video of someone who took their lizard outside to “see the sun for the first time.” He looked so cute, head bobbing up and down to take in the light and warmth of this new experience. So, in this new phase of nurturing this lizard, I told my husband and my son that I thought he would like to go outside and see the sun.
They had the same reaction that I’m picturing you’re having reading this. But they humored me, and outside we went. I asked them to stay close, anticipating his desire to make a run for it in the open air. We set him gently on the green grass. Nothing. A minute passed, five minutes passed…he didn’t even move. Thinking he might not like this as much as I thought he would, I picked him up, set him on my knee, and made a stark realization. He had been in his cage so long, that he had no idea he could move freely outdoors. He didn’t even try. He had adapted so completely to his surroundings that – even when offered a chance at freedom and a new experience – he didn’t budge. His little clawed feet were trying to make sense of the prickly green carpet. He was probably scared in his new surroundings. Fresh air and open road? He wasn’t having it. I put him safely back in his cage, but not before he taught me an interesting lesson.
I wonder how often we adapt to the safety our comfortable surroundings that we don’t even take the freedom when it’s offered? What might we be missing because we aren’t willing to step foot onto unfamiliar ground? God calls us to love boldly by stepping out of our comfort zone and into the darkness.
Loving boldly is hard. It’s messy. Throughout the years, my family stepped onto new patches of spiky grass. My son engaged in conversation with his biology teacher about the theories of creationism and evolutionism. My daughter transferred from a small, comfortable university to a large university with new challenges. My husband and I stepped out with church plants in El Salvador and Ghana, West Africa. Sure, it’s easier to stay comfortable. But man, what we might be missing.
In what way is God calling you to love boldly? Perhaps it’s taking a mission trip, or fostering a child. Perhaps it’s saying yes to that gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit to share Christ with a neighbor. God offers us the freedom to become all He has created us to be and take His grace into dark places. The brothels of India…the halls of our public schools…the water coolers of our workplaces.
Step scared – God is with you. Loving boldly requires us to be more dependent on God’s sustaining grace, but every step is worth it.
Make Your Life Matter No Matter What
With Love,
Angela
