Wild at Heart

Whenever I read a book by John Eldredge or Brennan Manning, my world gets rocked. I’m a little over halfway through Wild at Heart. This is my second reading.



If you are not familiar with the book, it’s written for men, a guide to the true heart of a man. It’s also great for women to read in order to better understand men. The first time I read it a few years ago, it revolutionized the way that I thought about men. I think it would be good for me to reread this book every few years. I especially think it’s a good refresher for me now that I’m married. Should I have the blessing of sons, I will definitely read it again. Here are the basics. Every man and every woman has three basic desires.
Man:
1. a battle to fight
2. an adventure to live
3. a beauty to rescue
Woman:
1. to be fought for, to be pursued
2. an adventure to share
3. a beauty to reveal

In the book a woman asks Eldredge, “ How do I get my husband to come alive?” He answers her, “Invite him to be dangerous.” In order to truly understand this bit of guidance, you need to read the book.

Taking this advice, I have decided that Chris and I need to pursue adventure. We’re going to start by going camping; the first trip will be in the next couple weeks. We hope to eventually go camping in the Grand Canyon. We’re also going to go white water rafting on the Ocoee. And I told Chris that, when we can afford it, I would love for him to get a motorcycle, a desire that he has long held. I am also on the lookout for other adventures.

I don’t want to live in a strictly “safe” world. Just as Lucy discovered in The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan is not safe, but he is good. In just the same way, life doesn’t have to be safe to be good. I feel like, for the longest time, I’ve looked for safely alone. While that’s nice and certainly necessary in many cases, it should not be the ultimate goal. I’ve run from fear for so long, and now I’ve come to see that it’s time to tackle. It’s time to be wild.

I know that I cannot do justice to this book in my little feeble explanation or even in beginning to tell the ways that my thinking and my life in general are being altered. I hope that you will get the chance to read it.