Have you seen the latest cable television show called Survivorman? It is a gritty reality show about a man named Les Stroud. Les goes into extreme situations with no food, no shelter, no water or tools and survives for seven days. Oh yeah, he is also a one-man camera crew. He lugs over fifty pounds of camera equipment, which means it takes him twice as long to walk out of harm’s way. He has survived swamps, rainforests, deserts, open seas and the frozen tundra of Canada. It is fascinating to watch him find drinking water, eat scorpions, escape from bears and peel a snake before eating it. You can learn a lot about survival watching Survivorman. The natural question then arises, where do you go to learn about other kinds of male survival. What techniques will help the survival of several endangered species such as “Faithful Fatherman”, “Masculine Role-Modelman”, and ”Honest Man”? Can these survive? The answer is “yes.”
The ultimate survivorman to watch is Jesus Christ. Jesus does not show us how to just survive, but how to thrive. Les Stroud has immediate credibility with guys because he always “goes it alone.” It seems to be a pretty common daydream for men to see themselves in some dire situation beating the odds. While this may make for interesting television, it’s not the way of the Lord. Jesus refuses to let you go it alone. He is the ultimate model of manhood. He fulfilled God’s purpose, lived for his bride (the Church) and gave Himself away serving others.
Sure, it is impressive to watch Les eat an entire rabbit or grub for insects to survive. It is more inspiring to watch a man face down a thirty-year mortgage, explain sex to a thirteen year old without a hint of impurity, endure the trials of office politics, or hold the line of truth for a teenager who is testing the very material of that cord. Watching a man fight for his marriage, raise a family, or apologize to an offended friend is every bit as impressive as watching Survivorman. Hats off to the real survivorman that lives next door and never fails to load up a family on Sunday to go to church. He is the real survivorman.
If you know a man like this, tell him what you respect about him and encourage him to keep striving. The survival of many depends upon him.
Ed Litton
1 comment:
Ed, Great. Thanks for the encouragement to stick close to Jesus and to other men who are on this great and adventurous journey with Him Who has won the day and and forever. Blessings!
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