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#9 Befriend the Jungle

  • Writer: Christian D'Andre
    Christian D'Andre
  • Sep 5, 2024
  • 4 min read

Updated: Feb 14

I had an epiphany today. When I first started this series, it was because I was in a place where I felt like my life was a jungle, with threats around every corner and everything out to get me. And while I still believe that it’s important to see how life could pose a threat to you, I think it may be unhealthy to live in fear of life. 


Fear sends us to one of two places, and neither of them are good. Either you overcompensate and wind up speeding towards a nasty wreck, or you shy away from everything that crosses your path. But both of those responses come from fear. I caught myself in this mindset this week as I was awakened to the need to alter my diet. You see, I was upping my protein intake in order to keep up with the physically demanding job. And while there’s nothing wrong with eating a little more meat, there is such a thing as too much. A protein shake for breakfast, workout recovery at break, and chili for dinner can be a little much to handle. At the start of the week, the excessive nature of my diet caught up to me, and I got a little sick. 


You see, all this excessive eating came from a fear of my job. Had I simply been a little more confident in my body’s ability to adapt, I might not have found myself in this mess. There comes a time when everyone must face their fears. As I was thinking about writing all of this, I asked myself “if these dangers are the jungle, what would it look like for me to be like Tarzan and befriend this jungle?”First of all, I don’t think this means that every creature in the jungle will be your friend. There will still be the leopards, piranhas, and the occasional angry poacher. But I think there are a lot of things that we treat as threats that are, perhaps, only harmful when misused. Sure, an elephant may have a powerful stomp that could crush a baby gorilla, but they actually might prove to be quite friendly if we got to know them. 


Translation: focus on how much good things are doing for you. Focus on how friendly your cat is, instead of how much of a menace he is being right now. Focus on how good sunscreen is at protecting your face, not how much it burns your eyes when you accidentally sweat it into them (that one’s a true story, by the way. Embarrassing, but true.) And focus on how much good something could be for you, instead of how much of a hazard it could become.


And after you have entered that mindset, be mindful of the potential dangers something could cause. Don’t stand right under an elephant’s foot. Don’t put sunscreen on the upper forehead or close to the eyes. Don’t overdo it with the meat. What I am trying to say is recognize that almost anything can be harmful if you abuse it. 


But don’t use that as a reason to become a fearful shut-in. Take it as the call to wisdom! As you begin your journey into new territory, you will get bumps and bruises, scrapes and cuts. It’s a normal part of living. But imagine being able to do the same things, live the same life, and say to yourself “look! That was so much easier this time! Look how painless today was!”


And I think we all know that feeling. I know I do. That feeling of “huh, that way is so much easier.” I think that’s a big part of why I love wisdom so much: it’s the art of doing life without unnecessary pain. Sometimes you can spare yourself a boatload of hurt if you do life right. And if you have done things the hard way enough times, you’ll be very relieved to learn how to go about getting it done right. 


And I believe that’s what the Bible is for. Most people get all huffy and puffy over the fact that there are rules in it. They claim it’s hateful because it says that certain things are wrong. To that, I say “come on, y’all!” It’s the maker of the jungle telling us how it was meant to be enjoyed. It’s a bunch of things like “don’t stand under elephant’s feet” and “don’t swim with piranhas.” They weren’t meant to rob us of our fun, but to keep that fun from hurting us. 


And it’s funny, the same people that want to keep the rules of the jungle at bay are the same people that complain that life has no manual, no rhyme or reason, and no apparent purpose to it. The question I love to follow up to that is “if someone told you how to live, and it meant giving up some of the things you do now, would you do it?” Most of the time, people seem to give me a big, fat “no.” Even when their words say “yes,” their hearts and actions tell me they’d rather do things their own way. They condemn themselves. 


So I pray you learn the laws of your Jungle. I pray that you develop the wisdom to start to get things right, and that you find teachers and guides along your journey. And if you can’t find any people-guides, know that there is always God who is ready and willing to light your path. I pray for your day, that it may be blessed indeed!

Until next time

May Peace be your Guide.

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