Gazelle Intensity

During the last two months I've been working through the Financial Peace University material on a weekly basis with a group of about 8-10 other families. It's really been challenging and helpful--both personally and as a group.

One of the phrases it uses often is gazelle intensity. In the context of FPU, it generally means that unless you really get inspired, motivated and downright angry to change, you won't change your behavior. To illustrate, Dave Ramsey mentions a proverb for daily life, written by that timeless millionaire, Solomon: "Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler." (Proverbs 6:5, NIV) Obviously, for FPU's purposes, that proverbs applies to financial issues such as unnecessary borrowing and debt (the context of the proverb bears this out--Proverbs 6:1). However, like many principles, this can also be applied to other areas of our life. Such as our passion, intensity and inspiration for pursuing a one-on-one relationship with our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.

A gazelle is one of the fastest animals on the planet. But, it is not 'the' fastest. That distinction belongs to the fleet-footed cheetah. However, did you know that gazelle is one of the cheetah's favorite meals? But, just because a cheetah decides it wants a gazelle for dinner, doesn't mean it's a slam dunk. Though the gazelle isn't as fast as a cheetah, it can avoid being captured, killed and devoured by running in serpentine patterns to avoid the cheetah. In so doing, it wears out a much faster predator and spares it's own life!

What a picture for us! When it comes to an intensity to pursue God, there is an equally aggressive foe to deal with known as the devil and sin. Like the gazelle, we must run a more strategic, smarter, defensive path away from these in order to free our self, and remain passionately in pursuit of God.

I shared this with some of my friends at First Assembly last Sunday, and used the video below to illustrate. I found a You Tube video of a gazelle and cheetah encounter that I captured. Then as I reproduced it for my illustration, I was able to mute the audio and dub in a choice of my own. I think you'll see how I adapted the sound track to reflect a little more of my personality. (The song is an excerpt from Can't Get Away, by one of my growing favorite groups Rush of Fools. Check out their stuff by clicking the link, or going to www.myspace.com/rushoffools)