Facing Life's Lions: Lessons from the Water Buffalo
Written by Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar
Life, let’s be honest, has a funny way of sneaking up on you, kind of like that lion lurking in the tall grass. You could be having a decent day, minding your own business, when bam! Something jumps out and you're thrown right into survival mode. It might be a financial setback, a health scare, or one of those bad days where even your morning coffee tastes off. Suddenly, you're the water buffalo in a National Geographic special, and the lion of life is on the hunt.
But here’s the thing life’s not about running from lions. It’s about learning how to face them. And let me tell you, the water buffalo knows a thing or two about standing its ground. When the lion shows up, the buffalo doesn’t panic and sprints off into the distance. Nope, it gathers the herd, plants its hooves firmly, and stares down the predator with a quiet kind of strength. That’s a life lesson we can all take to heart: no matter how fierce the challenge, it doesn’t have to knock you down.
When the lions of life come after you, whether it’s a crisis at work, a broken relationship, or even a struggle within yourself, who’s in your herd? We’ve all got a herd, even if we sometimes forget to lean on them. Your herd might be your family, your close friends, or even that one co-worker who somehow knows exactly when to bring you a cup of tea. The herd is about support. It’s about not facing the hard stuff alone. And if you’re anything like me, there have been moments when you’ve thought, “I’ve got this,” only to find out later that surprise you don’t. That’s when you need to call in the reinforcements.
I’ll never forget a story my grandmother used to tell me. She’d say, “Honey, life’s going to throw some lions your way, but don’t worry, even lions know when to back down if the herd stands strong.” She was right. When you have people around you who care, who will show up when things get tough, those lions seem a whole lot smaller. Life might knock you down, but it won’t keep you down when you’ve got a herd by your side.
Now, let’s not forget sometimes you are the lone buffalo. Maybe your herd is miles away, or maybe the fight you're facing is one you’ve got to go through alone. We've all been there. There are moments in life when it feels like the universe hands you a challenge, and it says, “This one’s for you. Let’s see what you’ve got.” And in those moments, you might feel like the buffalo squaring up to the lion all by itself. But here’s the thing: the buffalo doesn’t back down. It digs deep, remembers the strength it has, and holds its ground.
There’s a spiritual truth here that can’t be ignored. The Creator doesn’t allow lions to come into your life just to see you fall. Those lions, those challenges, are here to show you something about yourself your resilience, your courage, your ability to stand even when everything around you is trying to take you down. When you’re faced with that lion, it’s an opportunity. An opportunity to grow, to trust, to lean into the Creator and say, “I may not know how I’m going to get through this, but I know I will.”
And here’s where we have to laugh a little. Because let’s be real sometimes life’s challenges are just ridiculous. Ever had one of those days where everything goes wrong in the most spectacular fashion? Like your car breaks down, your phone dies, and you spill coffee on yourself all before 9 AM? It’s like the universe is sitting there with popcorn, watching the show. Those are the days when you’ve got to shake your head, laugh, and say, “Okay, life, I see what you’re doing. But you’re not going to break me.”
There’s a kind of divine humor in the way life works. We spend so much time trying to control things, but at the end of the day, the lions show up when they want to, not when we expect them. But here’s the beauty: even though we can’t control when the lions come, we can control how we respond. And just like the buffalo, we can choose to face those lions with courage instead of fear.
One thing that always sticks with me is this: the lion isn’t the enemy. In the grand design of things, the lion has a purpose. It’s there to sharpen the buffalo’s instincts, to remind it of its strength, and to help it grow. Spiritually, those lions in your life—the setbacks, the hard times, the moments when you don’t know if you’ll make it—are part of your growth. They’re refining you, building you up, and reminding you that you have a strength inside that’s bigger than any problem you face.
And remember, no lion can outlast the Creator's plans for you. That lion may roar, it may claw, it may try to shake your foundation, but it’s not going to win. The buffalo doesn’t survive because the lion disappears it survives because it knows its strength and because it has the herd and the Creator watching over it.
So here’s the takeaway: life’s lions are going to come, whether you like it or not. But you’ve got a herd to lean on, strength inside you that’s greater than you think, and a Creator who has already equipped you to face whatever comes your way. And sometimes, the best thing you can do when the lions show up is to stand tall, let out a laugh, and say, “Bring it on, lion. I’ve been through worse.”
Because when it comes down to it, no lion can take away the spirit that the Creator placed within you. Like the water buffalo, you’re strong and resilient, and you’ve got a herd that’s got your back. No matter what challenges come your way, you’ve got everything you need to face them and more.
Inspired by this video
Comments