Sticks intro sampler - Flipbook - Page 27
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starring in Emmy-award-nominated TV shows, where he adventures with
people like former president Barack Obama; and
writing over ninety-five books.1
The dude’s intense. He’s kind of like a real-life, wilderness-bound James Bond,
foraging for life among the wild. I don’t get it. Send me to the beach for some
sun and a nap, please. But not Bear Grylls. His insatiable curiosity compels him
to explore the wilderness, hunting for adventure.
If I enter my house to the sound of howling laughter or roaring ahs, I know
Aaron and Caleb are glued to a Bear Grylls TV show. One time, Caleb explained
that Bear was trying to decide if he wanted to eat raw bird eggs for sustenance or
risk digesting the berries excreted in bear poop. My usual response to this kind of
commentary is “Why, though? Just why?” Caleb will say, “Because it’s awesome,
Mommy!”
In a desperate attempt to involve me in a Bear Grylls adventure, Caleb asked
me to imagine knowing what Bear knows. If I could navigate the wilderness, he
suggested—if I were wise to the animal kingdom, if Mother Nature and I were
besties—I wouldn’t just love what Bear Grylls accomplished, I’d try it for myself.
The innocence of children is a precious thing. I didn’t want to put a damper on
my son’s dream, so I simply responded with a “Maybe.”
If you take my resistance out of the equation, my son’s reasoning is sound.
Knowing how to navigate the wilderness would make it fun, potentially. Bear
knows the lay of the land anywhere he goes. He knows which plants to eat and
not, which animals to hunt and not, which terrain is safe and not. All his wise
choices are founded on awareness and understanding of what will be good for
him and what will be bad.
I have zero desire to emulate Bear’s adventures, but I’d love to have as much
knowledge and confidence as he does when he makes his decisions in the wilderness. I want to navigate my life with wisdom––knowing what is good for me and
what is not.
Here’s what I want to suggest to you: The Bible has a whole lot to teach us
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