Recently, I found the tv show Running Wild with Bear Grylls. In it, Bear takes celebrities out into the wild for a two-day trip where they live off of the land. It’s an entertaining show as the viewer watches celebrities react to being thrown into new and uncomfortable situations. For those of you who don’t know, Bear Grylls is an adventurist, survivalist and former soldier of the British military. He is best known for being the host of the tv show Man vs. Wild, in which Bear first became famous for eating things like maggots, snakes and other animals. However, less known about Bear is that he is a devout Christian and that his relationship with Jesus is the backbone to his life.
At different times in Running Wild, Bear and the celebrity guest take breaks and Bear uses this opportunity to ask the celebrity different questions about their life. As I’m watching Bear interact with the guest, I’m amazed at how graceful and loving Bear is. I understand that it is his job to be polite and respectful, but I could tell there was something more at play. I thought to myself, “Wow, Bear acts like a minister, in a sense, to these celebrities. He is being Jesus to them. I wonder if he ever gets to pray for them?”
In one episode, Bear and the President of the United States trekked their way to the mouth of an Alaskan glacier to bring light to climate change and its affect on the environment. Fast forward t0 the end of the show where Bear and Obama were saying goodbye to one another. Before they parted ways, Bear asked the question, “Mr. President can I pray for you?”Bear proceeded to place his hand on Obama’s shoulder and prayed for him.
I was blown away! This was on national television with millions of viewers. This also confirmed my thought above, as I wondered if Bear ever got to pray for his guests. It’s amazing and refreshing to see someone walk in their passion and see how the Lord uses it.
I think in the Christian community we contrast our, what seem to us as”unholy” day-jobs, with careers such as “Pastor” or “Minister”. We think that being a businessman, lawyer, doctor, police officer, teacher etc. are not as “holy” as being a missionary, pastor or clergyman. This type of thinking limits our effectiveness and, as a result, we limit what God can do. We put God in a box saying, “God only works through people that have spiritual jobs.” On the contrary, God is saying something completely different.
To Him, there is no difference between a secular and a sacred job. Take the disciples for instance. Jesus called to them saying, “Come and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). The disciples were fishermen by trade and by saying that He would make them “fishers of men,” Jesus changed the perspective of their vocation. Imbedded within their job to be fishermen, was the duty to be “fishers of men.” The disciples would inevitably meet people that didn’t know who Jesus was while sitting on the banks of rivers, lakes and seas. It is with these people that they would be able to share what Jesus has done in their lives.
It’s the same today. There are people at your job, on your floor and in your unit who don’t know who Jesus is and they desperately need him. Will you be like Bear and reach out in connection and prayer? Will you be like the disciples and be a fisher of men? God is inviting you to run wild with Him. Don’t be surprised if he uses what you are passionate about to make the biggest splash!
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