How will I get there?

For as he [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he.

Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)

The late actor, Jack Palance, made his career out of playing the tough guy in over 125 movie and television roles.  One of his most unforgettable shorter appearances was in the 1991 motion picture, City Slickers, where he played Curly Washburn, a weathered old cowboy and trail boss.

After a rocky start, Curly and Mitch the city slicker, played by Billy Crystal, have become friendly.  Eventually, we find them riding side-by-side behind a group of stray cattle, with Mitch questioning Curly by posing a series of moral dilemmas. 

Finally, exasperated, Curly pulls up, turns to Mitch and asks, “Do you know what the secret of life is?” as though ready to reveal some deep secret about himself, about life, and about being a man.  Because this is exactly what Mitch has been looking for, he responds in a surprised tone that he does not, but wants to know.  To this, Curly holds a single finger aloft and says that the secret is, “one thing.”  Mitch shrugs, looking up at Curly who sits much taller in his saddle, and asks, “That’s great, but, what’s the one thing?”  In a professorial manner, with a smirking half-smile, Curly points his gloved index finger at Mitch and says, “That’s what you’ve gotta figure out.”[1]

You may have heard it said that the secret to a fulfilling life is to find out what you can be passionate about, and then to do that.  I’ll be bold here and say that, for the Christian man, the call of Jesus to “follow me,” as He did with Simon, Andrew, James, and John, at the Sea of Galilee, carries the secret to a passionate life.[2]  They responded immediately. 

Jesus is still calling men.  The question is, what holds a man back?  Fear.  What overcomes fear?  Remember the five dimensions of the grand quest, from the last article?

When a man finds a journey that

Engages his imagination,
Fills him with wonder,
Demands his loyalty and valor,
Invokes his passion, and
Promises him romantic fulfillment,

It can become a consuming fire.

God-inspired passion overcomes fear, and it sends you on a pathway, a journey on which you cannot know the destination.  It is the call of Jesus to you, to join Him in the grand quest.  You cannot stay neutral.  You cannot retreat.  You must advance toward the life that He has designed for you.

I can’t offer any impressive prescription as to how that should happen for you, except to say that God is always at work in you to do His will.[3]  In a sense, you don’t have to figure it out.  The time will come when God will work through the circumstances of your life to get your attention.  In that moment of recognition you will find that you cannot-not do what He has placed in your heart.

In the strength of the Holy Spirit, you will commit to the unknown; to authenticity, simplicity, followship, resilience, and valor – the qualities of the Noble Man.  These are character qualities that will open a gateway to the life that you desire for yourself and for your family.  Later articles will make the case for the disciplined process and pathway toward finding a vision for manhood that will engage all of whom you are and dream to be.

For now, I am asserting that your destiny and your legacy are bound up in being intentionally serious about finding the pathway to noble manhood.[4]  Will you say “yes” to this call of Jesus, not just to know Him, but to follow Him?  This is not an invitation to join a secret society like the Knights Templar of which we have heard so much in recent times – although we can and will learn much from the knighthood metaphor.  It is an invitation to a life of noble calling.

So, we have briefly explored three questions:  Who am I?  Where am I going?  How will I get there?  Our answers have been:  You are a man after God’s own noble heart.  You are called by Jesus Himself to a grand quest.  You will get there by responding “yes” to the call, and by committing yourself to the life of the Noble Man – in His strength, to His honor, and for His glory alone.