Wild at Heart Revised and Updated: Discovering the Secrets of a Man’s Soul by John Eldredge

…adventure is written into the heart of a man.

 

I read the wrong book.

 

I was looking for a book that I’d heard of that describes the natural development of manhood in six stages: boyhood, cowboy, warrior, lover, king, and sage. Someone told me they’d read that book and it was titled: Wild at Heart

 

Not quite. The book I was thinking of is called Fathered by God, which the author intends as a follow-up to Wild at Heart. I’ve started reading Fathered by God, and it isn’t essential to read Wild at Heart first, but since the author recommends it that way, my mistake was a happy accident.

 

Both books are along similar themes. WARNING – they are not politically correct, but I am more interested in what is simply correct (sans qualifier).

 

I would describe the theme something like: There are character traits that are distinctly male, and by implication, others that are distinctly female. That’s actually more of a premise rather than a theme. The theme then is to understand and nurture those masculine traits to the benefit of the man himself, his family, society, and to the service of God his creator.

 

And without apology, I concur. I won’t belabor the point here, or argue it. Read the book.

 

Eldredge asserts that every man is driven by three primal desires.

 

They may be misplaced, forgotten, or misdirected, but in the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to love.

 

That definitely resonates with me.

 

Eldredge also states...

 

Man is not born into a sitcom or a soap opera; he is born into a world at war.

 

That intrigued me, and I had to think about it, but I believe it is true in both a physical and spiritual sense. I remembered something Eldredge said earlier in the book. Paraphrasing now – in the Bible picture of creation, the Garden of Eden is a pristine and peaceful setting. It is not immediately apparent, but the Universe was already at war, and has been ever since. Lucifer had rebelled, and along with his demon hordes wages spiritual warfare against God and his saints. In the physical realm, the  world has been at peace for less than 10 percent of recorded human history.

 

Setting the purpose for the warrior heart of man.

 

We need to heal the warrior heart in men, to be sure; set it in the service of goodness.

 

Amen!

 

And now I’m off to read Fathered by God, also by Eldredge.

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