It’s a Jungle Out There

It was the punch line of an advertisement, but what caught my attention in the ad was the picture of a lion lurking behind the trees of a thick forest —because lions do not live in forests. They prefer grassy plains, dense scrub, and open woodlands, mainly in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They move stealthily in their surroundings, and their yellow-gold coats provide camouflage so that these predators go almost undetected by their prey. During our stint as missionaries in East Africa, we enjoyed viewing lion prides from the safety of our vehicle. Lions or no lions, it’s a jungle out there.

Listen to the news. Nations continue their search for elusive peace. We are inundated with movies, television shows, and video games that portray scenes of violence, hostility, and crime that desensitize our brains and distance our thoughts from what is pure and honest. Many idolize performers who are barely clothed or whose music speaks of disrespect to other humans. Ellen White wrote, “The desire for excitement and pleasing entertainment is a temptation and a snare to God’s people, and especially to the young.”* A jungle provides a dwelling place for many species of wild and dangerous animals. Likewise, this world is like a jungle that harbors various kinds of temptations.

Big temptations are like giraffes, towering high above the savanna, obvious and easy to avoid. Yet crouching in the shadows are little temptations, such as the tendency to engage in hurtful words, a hateful spirit, judgmentalism, and gossip; all of these can destroy relationships with others. “Satan is a persevering workman, an artful, deadly foe. … He is in every sense of the word a deceiver, a skillful charmer.

He has many finely woven nets … to entangle the young and unwary.”† It’s a jungle out there, all right! But the Lord has promised He will protect us from the snares of the devil. First Corinthians 10:13 says that “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (NIV).

Evelyn Porteza Tabingo