Wild at Heart
A brief overview of John Eldredge's bestselling classic on 'discovering the secret of a man's soul'
Who is Wild at Heart for? Any man looking for authentic masculinity, looking to be initiated into manhood as the Lord God intended; any man who feels that something within is missing, despite being saved; any man who feels that God has made them for more but cannot exactly explain what it is; Lastly, any man who has been hurt by his father, most of us have been. Whether the hurt be rooted in abandonment, passivity, or abuse - this book offers a light and hope that Jesus intends for us.
If we approach Wild at Heart as a counseling session and less academically, our experience is bound to be fruitful. Each time we pick up this book we are invited to engage with an open heart and mind. We allow John (a former counselor) to lead us through the text while The Holy Spirit (the Counselor) guides our thoughts, convicts us about what we are reading, highlights to us certain ideas or exhortations to either prompt us to dig deeper or call us to action. Reading WaH in this way will yield good fruit. This is not a book to scream men into a spiritual awakening (as if that is ever effective) ‘you aren’t doing X, Y, and especially Z! And if you are – it is not at all good enough! THIS is why you are failing! Get up! Stop being weak!’ In fact, Wild at Heart is the antithesis to that sort of book. Do not allow me to give the impression that it is at all coddling in nature, it certainly is not. However, John has not written WaH to scold and call out modern men for being weak limp you-know-what’s. John wrote it to address that something has been killed, stolen, and destroyed in men – their ability to live from the heart. All men have taken wounds upon their greatest strength and many of us, myself included, do not know what to do about it, where to start even, assuming we are aware and accept the premise that something is missing to begin with.
“Wild at Heart is not about becoming a lumber jack and drinking motor oil. I am simply searching…for an authentic masculinity.”
To effectively deliver the message that something in men is missing, John first addresses the masculine heart – how the Lord made it wild and has carved three innate desires upon it. “…In the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to love.”
John illustrates these desires through films, literature, personal testimonies and perhaps most saliently through the games and fantasies that young boys naturally indulge in. He uses scripture to remind us that “The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is his name.” (Exodus 15:3) Even more, he dispels the illusion that Jesus Christ was a kindly Mr. Roger’s role-model by which we are meant to emulate. The bible is full of examples of the courageous and fierce man that Jesus is. Jesus is loving, merciful, and kind beyond measure but he is also wild and dangerous. John reminds us, we are made in the image of The Lord.
“We need to heal the warrior heart in men, to be sure; set it in the service of goodness. Because the desire is there…If a man has lost his desire, says he doesn’t want it, that’s only because he doesn’t know he has what it takes, believes that he will fail the test.”
“The real life of the average man seems a universe away from the desires of his heart. There is no battle to fight, unless it’s traffic and meetings and hassles and bills…Without a great battle in which a man can live and die, the fierce part of his nature goes underground and sort of simmers there in a sullen anger that seems to have no reason.”
So how did we get here? Living lives so far away from the deepest desires of our heart? There are many reasons that which John expounds upon. Society has all-out assailed authentic masculinity and have made men afraid and even resentful of it - men today are called to be polite good-boys, society does not invite men to be fierce and courageous, in fact, that is dissuaded vehemently. The church and patriarchs have failed to initiate boys into manhood; the church, in large part, offers men duties – more of what they already have from their career and family. Men are invited to pick up folding chairs after a very mild-mannered breakfast fellowship - and that is the often the greatest mission a church will offer them. Lastly, “Every boy, in his journey to become a man, takes an arrow in the center of his heart, in the place of his strength. Because the wound is rarely discussed and even more rarely healed, every man carries a wound.” This last reason is given the most focus, for good reason. John reassures us that healing for our wounds is not only possible, it is the chief aim of our Lord Jesus Christ. He reminds us that to begin His ministry Jesus quotes, of all passages in the Old Testament, Isaiah 61.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor
We do not have to remain in bondage to our wounds and traumas, Jesus has come to liberate us. We do not have to sit hopeless and imprisoned in the strongholds the enemy has deceived us into, Jesus has come to free us. Have hope, my brothers and sisters, and above all else trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, seek Him and His will for your life. Amen.
If you want to learn more about Wild at Heart, check out the website or app where you will find plenty of great resources. I personally suggest the film series which essentially outlines the principles and ideas of the book, showing them in action through the lives of various men.
Have you read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart? What did you think of it, what were your main takeaways? If you have not read it, has this article piqued your interest or perhaps you know someone who may benefit from this book?
(If you’re looking to pick up a cheaper copy than your major retail bookstore, check out thriftbooks or abebooks for usually great prices.)
Peace & Blessings, brothers and sisters.