(Week 9) Honey from the Carcass of a Lion

“Some days later when he came back to get her, he made a little detour to look at what was left of the lion. And there a wonder: a swarm of bees in the lion’s carcass—and honey! He scooped it up in his hands and kept going, eating as he went. He rejoined his father and mother and gave some to them and they ate. But he didn’t tell them that he had scooped out the honey from the lion’s carcass.” (Judges 14:8-9 MSG)

The story of Samson has always fascinated me.  Growing up, all I remember is the song, “Samson and Delilah”, but Samson’s story is so much more than just Delilah.

 I began this post almost 2 years ago, captivated by the swarm of bees and the honey from a lion’s Carcass.

Can “new life” and something sweet still come from senseless scenarios?

Below is the purple list I started in 2014:

My heart is overwhelmed today.  

1.) I am overwhelmed, as I sit with “John” at 1st Stop.  My heart breaks for the homeless. (1st Stop is a local outreach to the homeless.)

2.) I am overwhelmed, as our community grieves with a family and the tragic loss of a child in a car accident.  

3.) I am overwhelmed by the epidemic of mental illness …

I have had this purple list saved for almost 2 years.  Today is the day God has chosen to finish what HE started.

“Beauty from ashes” is more refreshing than “honey from the carcass of a lion”, don’t you think?

However, I believe the message is the same.

God is still in the business of bringing good from evil, new life from dry bones and something sweet out of the carcasses we may have left behind.

Samson could have easily missed the miracle in the mess, but he noticed the wonder, as the Message translation calls it.

” And there a WONDER: a swarm of bees in the lion’s carcass—and honey!”

Now 2016, I see some of the ways God has brought “honey from the lion’s carcass” :

1.) Simply by showing up, I was blessed and encouraged to be entrusted with a salvation story from the heart of a homeless stranger, who will never be forgotten.

2.) I witnessed a community of believers rally around a family suffering tremendous tragedy.  The pain is still fresh but they are using their story to offer hope and comfort to others grieving the loss of a child.

 3.) After Kay and Rick Warren lost their child due to mental illness and my neighbors lost their son to suicide, I have seen a nation and my city open their eyes to a stigma, become educated on an issue, moved by grace and compassion and actually do something, versus waiting on someone else to.

Don’t miss the swarm of bees!

That swarm indicates new life.  Those bees made something sweet in something the world called dead.

We know a lot about Samson’s faults, but let’s not miss one of his highlight-reel moments.

What else can we learn from this one scenario?

Samson saw new life,

savored the sustenance,

and he shared the sweetness with others!

How can we apply this to our lives?

Where can we find “new life” coming from the carcasses we’ve left behind?

Are we savoring the sustenance?

Are we sharing the sweetness with others?

GoGod

Katie

** I have included a link to my Cardboard Testimony , in order to give you a glimpse of how God has brought, and is still bringing, “honey from the lion’s carcass” in my life!