I would like you to picture for a moment a jungle that is teeming with lions, tigers, cobras, and other dangerous animals. This jungle is also full of hunters and their formidable traps. Then imagine that you are a little 12 year old girl who needs to pass through this jungle to get to somewhere very important. Would you be scared or not?
I’m sure you’ll be very afraid to enter the jungle because the lions might devour you. You may not know what to do when you meet the tigers, the cobras or the cheetahs. As you contemplate the dangers involved in passing through that jungle, you might probably decide to stay put where you are. And for the rest of your life, you might be too scared to pass the jungle.
Now, let’s alter the picture a little bit. Imagine that you’re a combination of Bruce Lee, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), Chuck Norris, Jet Lee, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. In addition, you have all the training of a Navy SEAL, an American Marine, an Israeli Mossad, the British MI6, and American CIA. Imagine that you have a black belt in karate, judo and tae kwon do. Also you can hit somebody’s eye with a knife 3 miles away. You can shoot down a bird 6 miles up in the sky without looking. Would you still be scared of the jungle or not?
You definitely would not be concerned about going through the jungle. As a matter of fact, it is the jungle that should be worried about you! The lions, cobras, tigers and hunters would need to be concerned about the danger posed by your presence. In the later scenario, you possess the power, the skill, and the capacity to navigate that jungle successfully. And if anything dared to show up on your way, it would have only itself to blame.
Life is like that in many ways: a jungle. And at the end of the day, what matters is not the danger in the jungle of life and relationships, but your capacity to deal with these dangers.
You must pass through this jungle of life and relationships. So it is important that you develop the skills and capacity needed to successfully navigate the jungle. Your capabilities must be in a highly developed form if you desire to successfully find your way through this jungle of life and relationships.
“I am sending you out like sheep among the wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
~ Matthew 10:16
Jesus likened the world to a place full of wolves. The world is a den of lions. It’s filled with darkness and dangers. And as a Christian, you’ve got to go into the world. So you need to be a certain kind of person and function in a certain kind of way if you want to be successful in the world. You have to apply certain skills so that you can bring the kingdom of God into the world.
I encourage you today as God’s child to not be naïve. Instead take time to build yourself. It is your responsibility to develop your skills, your strengths, and your ability to deal with the challenges, the complexities and the dangers of life – that’s what Jesus meant.
Unfortunately, however, I notice that many Christians are scared. They are scared of the jungle because of the resident dangers. They just don’t want to move in. I really want to emphasize that the problem is not the jungle. The problem is that you failed to develop your skills. So don’t be afraid; instead take time to develop yourself so that the jungle instead will be scared of you.
Memory Verse:
Matthew 10:16
“I am sending you out like sheep among the wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”Prayer:
Father, help me to develop the skills, strengths, and ability to deal with the challenges and complexities of life and relationships, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.