Good Morning,
The hearth was filled with some dry wood this morning and the crackling fire is soothing to my bones. My mug was filled to the top with some hot Door County Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend Coffee and now it is time to write.
Genesis 21:20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. he lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow.
I have been reading and studying a book named "Wild At Heart" written by John Eldredge. It is accompanied by work book that has written work to be done daily as you go through the study. We will be tackling this book in our Men's Bible Study each week, very soon and as the leader of that crew, I need to be studied up and ready to lead.
The study has done a great job in pointing out the needs of a young man as well as what could be wrong with us older guys because we might have been coddled too much by our grandmothers and mothers. Absent fathers are spotted out in this book as the cause of many a boy headed in the wrong direction. Then there are the dads who need to work, but work too much. I am guilty as charged on that one.
What the book does is to show you why you behave and think the way you do. It makes it very apparent that when God made man and woman he wired each gender a lot differently. The author makes it clear that within every man there is still a boy that needs to be challenged, a little wild, and yet disciplined enough to behave.
I will take myself as an example. For years I walked behind my grandpa and my dad as they taught me to shoot, hunt and fish. These were awesome experiences. Yet there was always the need within me to to be able to do these events alone and on my own. Learning from them and experiencing what we encountered together was and is still priceless to me. I still needed to prove to myself that I could do what they taught me and do it as well as them or even better than them.
I can still remember the first time I went trout fishing alone. I was staying a few weeks with my grand parents in Michigan. I had a bike up there and one day when it was good and hot in July the heat had gotten to Grandpa a little. He just needed a rest for the afternoon. I was a little disappointed that we would not be going fishing. He sensed the disappointment and said, "I just don't feel good today. But you can still go fishing. Take your bike and gear and go where I showed you and see if you can bring some trout home." The area where they lived was and still is, loaded with miles upon miles of trout streams. So I took off. I didn't receive any last minute instructions or warnings. All I was told was to be home 30 minutes before dinner. I was handed a pocket watch to be able to track the time.
Wow, the freedom to be trusted and allowed to fish on my own was something I cannot describe. Off I went and I shortly found myself in a honey hole on the river. It wasn't too long before I had a limit of trout in my fish basket. I loaded up my gear, and my fish and went home. When I got back to their house, I was greeted by my grandmother who always greeted my grandpa and asked to see what he caught. I proudly displayed my catch and received a "Nice Job" from her. Grandpa was still napping and I proceeded to sharpen the filet knife and started the fish cleaning process. I felt a hand on the back of my neck. There was grandpa, grinning at me and all he said was "Looks like we will have some fried trout tonight for dinner". Now to eat what the mighty fisherman brought home was just another feather in the cap of the boy.
A few weeks later my parents came to pick me up and while sitting with my Dad outside one night, He said to me "I hear you are filling the freezer now with trout, good for you". I received some praise from the hardened Marine and I never forgot that moment when I was recognized as capable.
Those two still impact my life, even though they are long gone. When I come home with two tired dogs and can throw a couple of pheasants or ducks in the freezer, I still remember the day when they let me fish alone and prove myself.
Every boy needs that stamp of approval from a man. If you are in a position to encourage a young boy, do so. The lesson and the approval last a lifetime. Remember this, every boy and every man are all a little wild at heart.
God bless,
Marty
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