Earlier this year, our family joined others from our church on a trip to Uganda to visit some of our global partners. It’s a beautiful country, and they are amazing people. While on the trip we got to go on a safari, which was also amazing. We rode around a massive national park in Jeeps seeing lions, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, and other animals. We asked our guide what the most dangerous animal in the park was. After the mosquito, the most dangerous animal was, according to our guide, the buffalo. We were surprised. We assumed the lion. According to our guide, the buffalo has killed more people than the lion and more people have killed the buffalo. As we drove along, the guide pointed out that the buffalo were always together in a massive family and lions would never attack the buffalo in the family. Those buffalo are completely safe and cared for in the community, so much so that they lie down and sleep in open fields in the middle of the night when they are surrounded by each other.
A few hours later, we came upon a buffalo by himself, and our guide shared how the buffalo who is alone is susceptible to attacks from lions. “Lions will totally go after this one.” Of course, we asked, “Why is he alone?” We learned that this buffalo did not want to submit to the leader of the family. There was a fight for who was in charge, and the one who lost had a choice. He could have submitted to the leader or he could have left, and in his pride, he left. Because he could not be in charge, he wanted out. The lone buffalo is most dangerous to himself and to others. He is angry and miserable.
Two reminders about Christian community from lions and buffalo on a safari:
1. We have an enemy who hates when we are in Christian community.
The Scripture compares Satan to a prowling lion. 1 Peter 5:8 says “…Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.” Our guide told us that lions will prowl carefully and strategically and wait patiently for the right prey to pounce on: the prey the lion believes is the most likely to be destroyed. Our enemy is looking for the one alone, the one outside of the community, the one who does not value the family of God. When we are in Christian community, we are not perfect but we are being perfected and we are protected.
2. To be in Jesus’ family, we must bow before Him as the Leader.
Jesus invites everyone to be in His family, but to belong to Him means we submit to Him as the King of our lives. Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). To insist we are the kings over our own lives, to refuse to submit to Him, is to live alone like the angry and miserable buffalo. We are poor leaders over our own lives anyway. As Augustine wrote, “For what I am to myself without You, but a guide to my own downfall?” Jesus is the Creator who also conquered the grave; He is better at running our lives than we are.
