SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 10:20 And twelve lions stood there on one side and on the other side on the six steps… (KJV) REFLECTION: I try to visit to my childhood home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, every few years. Each time, I trace the roads I traveled as a child. On one street is the former Rockingham Hotel, now a more permanent residence for local persons. One corner of the building holds a restaurant called the Library. Two sets of eight steps lead to the entrances of the hotel. Each stairway landing is guarded with two life-size lion statues. At some point in time they were painted in gold leaf, but when I was a child they were natural cement. I used to climb those steps and mount the lions. Friends ran around the beasts in a game of hide and seek. The lions created great entertainment, although I am certain the hotel managers would have preferred us children “scat.” As an adult revisiting Portsmouth I find myself drawn to the statues. My husband, when he is with me, plays along, although he considers my behavior strange when I once again mount the lions and then ask him to snap the picture of my insanity. People passing by watch us in amusement. The picture of the lions in front of the majestic historical hotel offers a palatial view, much like the great palace built by King Solomon. Both suggest power and might. Perspective, however, posits these structures in the man-made category. How much more mighty and powerful is God’s kingdom! That is the truth we must proclaim, even while enjoying the accoutrements and protections of this world. PRAYER: God, we know you’re protection surpasses the power of the lions. Be with us as we need you, to protect us on our journey through this earthly life. Amen. | 
