Have you ever seen a mountain lion in the wild? I am sure that most of you have not, but perhaps you’ve been to the zoo and have seen one there. It is the largest of the smaller wildcats and goes by many names: cougar, panther, and deer tiger are some of them. It is about the same size as the leopard. The great cats, like lions, tigers and leopards can roar but not purr, while the mountain lion can purr but not roar. Their weight is usually between 75 and 250 pounds, and they can jump as high as 18 feet! Their manner of hunting is to stalk their prey, crouching as much as 30 feet away from them before pouncing.
Our story today is about a mother who saved the life of her 5-year-old boy from a mountain lion attack. The family lived in Colorado, near Aspen. One evening, while the two boys were playing outside in the front yard, she heard screaming. Running outside, she found a mountain lion on top of her son! Without waiting even a moment, she ran over to her son, lifted up the lion’s paw, and saw her son’s head in the lion’s mouth. She was able to pry the lion’s jaws open and wrestle her son’s head from its mouth. Then she scooped him up and ran away. Thankfully, the mountain lion did not follow them.
There is no doubt of the mother’s love for her son, which gave her the courage to rescue her helpless son. Did you know that there is Someone who loved us enough to give up His life for us? Because we are helpless sinners before a righteous God and can in no way save ourselves, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on Calvary’s cross for our sins. He shed His precious blood on the cross and died that we might live. “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:66For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)).
The little boy suffered deep cuts to his face, head and neck, but his injuries were not life-threatening. The mother also had minor injuries to her hands and legs. After talking to the father and mother, law enforcement officials found the lion under the tree in their front yard where the father said it would be. They were able to approach within 10 to 12 feet of the lion, which neither moved nor made a sound. Because he had attacked a human, the lion had to be shot and killed. He appeared to be between 8 and 9 months old.
“It wasn’t a big cat,” Deputy Michael Buglione said. “Had it been a 110-pound lion – which I’ve seen around here – this would have been a much different story,” and probably with a very sad ending.
We are all under the power of Satan, who is much stronger than us, until we receive God’s gift of salvation. “Christ also has once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:1818For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18)). When we admit to God that we are sinners, and ask Him to forgive us for Jesus’ sake, He promises to do so and gives us eternal life. Then, we can know for sure that we will be safe forever! “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Romans 4:77Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. (Romans 4:7)).
ML-05/07/2017