This week, Patti is introducing a new piece in the Inspiring Handmade shop called Fire in the Jungle. It’s a work full of energy, conflict, passion, and respite—a little bit like life. The name of the piece reflects the tension inherent in its bold colors fighting for your attention.
A fire in a jungle evokes imagery of devastation amongst lush green vegetation—death and destruction encroaching on areas teeming with life, but kept at bay, maybe, by a river or a stream, or a drenching afternoon rain. Such a scene would be a confusing mashup of hope and hopelessness.
Our lives are full of these elements, aren’t they? Pain, refreshment, loss, restoration, difficulty, rest. Taken on their own, they might not make much sense. But in the hands of the Master, they can be blended together to create a work of art—a life—that speaks encouragement and beauty into the world around it.
1 Peter 1:7 tells us that “we have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”