Lessons from Bear

Here they are - a few ideas I took from Bear Grylls' autobiography. If you haven't read this book (blokes, I recommend it!) it is a stirring but reasonably humble account of some of Bear's exploits. The star of TV show Man v Wild, Grylls was an SAS reservist who was discharged after he broke his spine in a parachute accident, then recovered to summit Mount Everest just 18 months later at age 23, the youngest Briton to do so. At 35 he became the youngest ever Chief Scout (head of the international Scout movement).

Here are three lessons I learnt from Bear...

1. You are stronger than you think, although some situations in life can take you by surprise. Spending his childhood hiking, camping, boating and climbing did not prepare Bear for boarding school, where bullying caused him to retreat into himself. It took him a number of years and a black belt in karate to find his confidence again...

2. Achievement is about mental toughness. The process of SAS pre-selection then selection sounds absolutely brutal, with 9 out of 10 failure rate achieved through punishing runs, hill climbs, sleep deprivation exercises and ultimately an interrogation test. Only those truly motivated will push through the pain...

3. A quiet faith in Jesus is a consistent comfort even when life is uncomfortable. "My Christian faith has been such a backbone through so many difficult times. My faith is quite simple in the sense that for me Christianity is about being held; it's about being forgiven; it's about being loved; and it's about being strengthened."

Despite all the action, the book is invigorating rather than exhausting! Reading the book you really get the feeling that Grylls' faith has strengthened him throughout all his experiences, and that a group of close Christian men have been important in that process. I am also thankful that our acceptability before God is not like the SAS selection. We don't earn our salvation in any sense, rather we are carried over the line by Jesus' perfect endurance on our behalf. That said, God wants us to be tough in resisting sin, and he gives us his Spirit to help...