When a Christian has the fire of God in their life, they can not only discern dangers but also remain unharmed amid them.
The Parable “What the Jungle Fears”
Two hunters slowly made their way through a wild jungle. Toward the end of the day, as the sun began to sink toward the horizon, the experienced hunter said to his young companion.
– We need to stop now. It is unsafe to continue moving forward.
– Yes, I think so too, replied the young hunter. I’m tired and need to rest.
The experienced hunter smiled and said.
– If you want to rest, you will have to work hard first. But I am not sure we will get the kind of rest you have in mind. As soon as the sun disappears, the jungle will no longer be safe.
– No, I can’t, replied the young hunter. Let me rest a little; I need to regain my strength.
The experienced hunter drew his sword and hurriedly began clearing the area where they had stopped. Then he began cutting down dry bark, vines, and branches and carrying them to the center of the clearing. So as not to get in the way, the young hunter stepped aside, lay down under a tree, and soon fell asleep.
A little later, the experienced hunter threw a piece of bark at the young man. Waking up, he jumped to his feet and shouted: – What was that?
The experienced hunter, continuing to chop bark, said;
– For now, it was only bark, but in a moment it could be a python, a spider, or some other creature. There is no more time; it is already twilight, and we need to light a fire.
Having said this, he quickly began arranging dry leaves around the clearing he had made. He added:
– You must be ready to face the darkness. If you do not resist it, it will resist you. The law of the jungle is that the strongest survives. While you are in the jungle, you cannot ignore this law, or you will become prey.
Sitting beside a vine, the young hunter spoke.
– I’m listening to you and thinking about how different your generation is from ours. You have so much fear; for some reason, you are afraid of everything.
– Friend. The experienced hunter interrupted him.
– It’s not about the generation; it’s about the jungle, where different laws apply. As long as you’re in their territory, you must stay alert, or you’ll die. And now, since I don’t have time, start building a protective barrier on your side from dry material, and we’ll set it on fire.
Set it on fire now? Why, when there’s no one around us? the younger man objected.
– If we light a fire, then every creature in the jungle will come crawling toward the light.
The experienced hunter replied.
– Yes, they’ll appear, and there will be even more of them than there are now. But the fire will help us see the danger that is invisible to us. They’re all around us, but without fire, we can’t see them.
– I disagree, the younger man replied.
– We shouldn’t attract the enemy; we should use fire when protection is necessary.
– And now be quiet if you want to live! the experienced hunter commanded.
He grabbed his sword and quickly ran up to the young man, who was sitting with his back against a tree trunk, then struck sharply above his head. Severed tentacles and disgusting fluid fell onto the young man’s head, and he began running around, shouting and wiping his head with leaves.
– Sorry for getting you dirty, the experienced hunter said with a laugh.
– If I hadn’t killed that creature, it would have killed you.
– Where did it come from? I didn’t hear anything above my head; everything was quiet.
– Don’t trust your eyes, the experienced hunter continued.
– Look down.
The younger man lowered his head and saw that his clothes were already covered with many different leeches, ticks, and spiders.
– Where did they come from? Let’s light the fire immediately.
As soon as they lit the fire, a protective ring of flames formed around them, and the scene around them immediately changed. In the light of the campfire, the eyes of all sorts of creatures began to glow, and they were everywhere. Without the light, they truly could not be seen. Before long, other inhabitants of the jungle began crawling toward the light as well.
Inside the ring of fire, the hunters sat safely, but beyond it, death awaited them.
The hunters sat in the center of the clearing all night, keeping the fire burning around them. From time to time, the experienced hunter glanced at the younger man and smiled as he watched him run around, diligently adding dry branches wherever the fire had grown smaller. Then the experienced hunter said:
– Remember this important rule.
A good hunter is not someone who can hunt, but someone who does not allow himself to be hunted. If you’re in the jungle, you’re not the only hunter. The jungle is hunting you too. If you stay alert, your hunt will be successful.
If you don’t stay alert, the jungle’s hunt will be successful. But you have an advantage over any jungle. Do you know what it is? Fire. If you have fire with you, you’re safe.
Author: Dmitriy Leo
