“Every man has a battle to fight; an adventure to live; and a beauty to rescue.”
That is the moniker of a ministry called Wild at Heart that I latched onto in the early 2000s. The ministry was started and led by John Eldredge and I must have read that book 4-5 times. I led men through that course 3 times. It reached into the depths of who I was and where I lived. As I aged and matured, I sort of settled into a pattern, a routine, of what was “expected” of an aging, maturing man. I settled for “safe.”
- I settled in as a husband.
- I settled in as a father.
- I settled in as a pastor.
- I settled in as a man.
For lack of a better way to put it…I became predictable, reliable, and as much as I hate to say it: B-O-R-I-N-G. Not that there is anything wrong with being predictable and reliable, but give. me. a. break!
I lost my sense of adventure. I became, as I have stated, S.A.F.E. Too safe. Even though I loved watching and reading of adventures like Lord of the Rings or even Titanic or even the early MacGyver, I was too safe and too sedentary and too entrenched and too “logical” to be adventurous.
One of the teachings of Wild at Heart was the idea of finding what makes you come alive and go do that. Find out what ignites my heart- my passion- and go do that. The world needs people today who are fully alive, not those who play at life, play it “safe,” and walking around with their heads in the ground.
So…what makes you come alive? Do you find yourself engaged or withdrawn? Find what makes you come alive and go do that.
This really made me think..and think…and think…
Thanks, Bill!
Keep thinking Pam. I have also had to sit back and think again about where I am and what turns my crank.
Such a good book, I remember reading it for the first time a number of years ago and how much it impacted me. Men were made for adventure, to protect, to battle. The book opened my eyes to a life I wasn’t really living. Going through the motions and Bill, as you described it… Playing it safe and simply settling. My life today is different than the life before. Not as significant as my salvation, and definitely not as important, but it provided a picture of how life could be different. How in many ways it should be different. The “what” in my mind should have a focus on God, but I think even that can look different for each individual. When we combine God’s purpose for us with “what” makes us come alive, the possibilities are endless. I pray that is the case as I continue through this life.
Ryan I see you as living proof of this principle. You shed unwanted pounds and got involved in “Fight Club” (Not the Brad Pitt kind) and running and cycling and doing physical things that challenge you physically but also spiritually and mentally. You definitely are not in a rut of playing it safe. The fact that Amanda supports your escapades is equally special. Don’t get stuck in my trap and allow people, situations and life to chain you to “normal.” Keep growing.
This is certainly something I need to think about, too, just like Pamela. I really have enjoyed my days when I can have calm, routine and predictability, especially with the crazy year Danny and I have had so far. It doesn’t mean I don’t love adventure, but it’s more tempered and measured.
Thanks for this subject to contemplate. Blessings, Bill!
Even as I write what I did, Martha, you bring up a very valid point. There is also a need to slow down and take time to “smell the roses” so to speak. There is something to be said for calm, routine and predictability. At our age, those are good! 🙂
male or female, it does become easier to just settle in and hunker down into a rather boring routine. we seem to find comfort there and it’s easier than making choices to enlarge our borders.
No doubt, Linda, it is both sexes. And you are right: it is easier to hunker down instead of expanding our borders. Nice to have you back! 🙂