The Desperate Enemy

As a teen I grew very intrigued by the behaviors of animals. I loved watching documentaries of nature. My oldest son has the same fascination but to a whole ‘nother level. One day I was watching a documentary of a pride of lions. The lioness had not eaten over several days so they were making plans on how to get their next meal. In their first attempt they tried to go after gazelles. The grass was golden to match their golden fur which allowed them to blend perfectly. Every lioness had their position and their job. As they patiently positioned themselves, they were discovered and they had no other choice but to still go through with their attack in hopes that they would get one gazelle. To their disappointment, they had to go one more day hungry as they waited for their energy to return and another chance for a meal. Luckily for them there was a group of wildebeest that was coming through the pride lands. The lioness had to plan again to bag their next meal, but could they actually go after a wildebeest? They were bigger and stronger than the gazelles. I watched as every lioness was successfully in their spot without alarm, and then the head lioness went for it. They chased the herd of wildebeests in what seemed to be a meaningless event. While watching, you think they are going for an adult because they are bigger and can feed them all comfortably, but I was wrong. They continued chasing the herd till you see them separating a brand new baby calf that still had a small string of the umbilical cord dangling from the belly button. It was quickly getting tired and lagging behind. Due to the fact that the lions hadn’t eaten for a while they went after prey that was more reachable.

You Are Not The Target

While this baby was running for his life trying to keep up with his mother who was clueless, the mother of this baby was running as fast as she could in fear of being attacked herself. It was visible the moment this mother realized that her baby was not by her side. The frantic mother realized that she wasn’t even being chased anymore. She made the dangerous decision to turn around with no care of what was awaiting her. What she was just running from, is now what she had to face. When she turned around, to her horror her brand new baby was seriously wounded. This brave mother faced her baby’s attackers and was able to remove them from her dying baby, but it was too late. This baby was dying fast but the mother would not leave her baby. That was okay because the lions just waited until she finally came to grips with the idea that her child was dying and there was nothing she could do about it. They never chased her because she was not the target. They chased her because they knew she would care more about herself and her own safety so she would leave her brand new baby exposed.

It’s a lucky thing we as humans don’t do that! We know better than these foolish animals…right? Or do we? We may not allow our children to be exposed to lions but we allow them to be exposed to other things. Sadly I have watched as parents, especially my own, make the exact same mistake as the wildebeests. What if that little calf could still speak after getting wounded so badly?

One of the most emotional shows I have ever seen was about a group of men who fathered children by several different women. The program was showing that the men were not just degrading themselves and the women they were having children with, but these men were carrying emotional baggage that was never dealt with. In one of these testimonials, one of the men faced his mother as he confessed his bitterness towards her for never being there for him. My husband and I cried as we watched as this man was vulnerable to his mother as if they were behind closed doors and no one else was around. As a child his mother was so disconnected from his hurt that she did not even notice him sitting on the couch after he had taken a handful of pills. He shared for the first time that he tried to kill himself and was waiting for the effects when she walked in and barely acknowledged him. All she did was greet him and walk past him while the taste of the pills were still in his mouth. It was clear the mother never knew of it and as she listened, it was like someone was draining the life from her. The host of the show needed to stand back to back with her because it was clear this woman was going to fall from the impact of the news. I never tried to physically kill myself, but I know how it feels to be hurting so bad and my parents not even realizing it. I sympathized with teenager after teenager, who were left behind by their parents like that calf. Teenagers that were so deep into pornography that they could not think because family members exposed them to it. I spoke to teenagers that were sexually active because they were raped right under their parent’s noses. I spoke to girls that had abortions and miscarriages and the parents never knew because they were too occupied with running for their lives. The list goes on and on.

Are You Cautious At ALL Times?

These children were the target, not the parent. Like the lion, when the enemy could not successfully bring down the parent he went after the child because the child was weaker and more naïve. They were strategic and patient. The pain of it is that by the time the parent or guardian sees that their child is under attack it’s usually too late. Now the enemy just waits for you to just give up on saving them so they can finish them off. You see these situations are very extreme, but we all have to remember that 1 Peter 5:8 says that Satan is LIKE a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Satan is hungry for his next meal and the truth is he doesn’t play fair. He doesn’t just go after adults or strong Christians that can fight back. He goes after the weak. But what other group of people that are weaker than a generation of kids that have parents that are preoccupied with things they think matter. That wildebeest was running for HER life, but was not making sure her child was protected.

1 Peter 5:8 AMP starts off by saying That we need to be “BALANCED, sober of mind, be vigilant and cautious at ALL times.” Are you balanced or are you engrossed in work, friendships or finances? Are you sober in your thinking? Parents/guardians, are you being cautious at all times with your children? The awesome thing is that there is still hope. By God’s stripes we are healed, and so are our children. God can bring what is dead to life. It is not too late. Next week I’ll talk about what we can do for our children who have been wounded. If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments below or email us privately.