I identify with the idea proposed by Jim Eldredge in Wild at Heart, who argues that both God has a wild heart and we are created in his likeness. He bases his proposal on the spectacular reflection we can take of his Creation, in that only a wild-hearted God could have created the claws of the bear, the enormous wings of the eagle or the depths of the sea, the fangs of a panther or the speed of a hawk, the strength of a dolphin or that of a hurricane, the stillness of the horizon, the intensity of a sky of stars or the energy of an earthquake.
The author elaborates on the idea and proposes us to recover our dreaming essence and the capacity for adventure, often subordinated by the social demand to be good. Often in religious congregations on Sundays, we see many church faces, and indeed, men often wear a kind of good and noble face, as if that were the one that corresponds in the house of God, even if they have had a fight in traffic before, or later they express different countenances. I believe, however, that there are not a few who have transformed their lives and have achieved a legitimate manifestation of their expression, and therefore, as a result of their new being.
On the contrary, however, the idea of being as we are, opening our hearts and letting them fly in their energy, power, rebelliousness and daring, is now simply mine as well. For this reason, I welcome this Christian approach that proposes that we recognize ourselves as we are, wild at heart, and I accept the idea of living passionately, vehemently and surrendered, rather than docile, good and church-faced. In my development and search for a relationship with God, today more than ever I live his freedom, and as a consequence, now I just do what I feel like doing. With the only exception that my heart grows every day more and more in His direction, and therefore, what I want to do today is very different from what I did in the past. This is why the transformation is sensational, which in effect liberates and releases, which potentiates and ignites, because it is life and not death.
In this book of revelations for man, which maintains that it was God who made us dangerous, arguments are elaborated that make sense, although it is true that in some cases he ventures into edges not commonly explored. In fact, it cites that as children we always wanted to be warriors, gladiators, firemen or policemen, men heroes in adventure and risk, just as it is also true that wars and armed conflicts are initiated by men, savages at heart.
Today I can see my relationship with God: authentic, passionate, ignited by the adventure of being as He proposes, of accepting the supposed risk of renouncing myself, of letting go and surrendering control to place it in His hands. It takes a wild heart to accept this “leap into the void” of the love of a Higher Being that cannot be touched except through His Word in the Bible, His creation in Nature, His gifts and blessings, the miraculous presence of the Holy Spirit, His presence in us by the grace of Faith, just to name a few of His supernatural manifestations.
I am hooked by the idea of accepting the adventure of following Christ as the son of God, who lived among us and gave his life, as well as by the unprecedented revelation of resurrecting and rising to heaven to be in the eternal presence of the Father. His mysteries captivate me, and my incapacity, limitation and microscopic dimension amuse me as never before, since there were many decades in which I assumed otherwise.
I am also fascinated to discover that God, in his wild heart, takes risks and leaves us free to choose, assuming the consequences without doubts or hesitation. Because we are created by his grace and love, the idea of giving ourselves to the world with the dangers and risks that live in the realm of evil, and leaving us in the capacity to openly assume our destiny and decisions, is wild.
I recommend this book, Wild at Heart, because without a doubt, for those of us who have no desire to walk through the world with a church face, unless it is authentically born from the depths of the heart, it gives us the opportunity to discover a path that allows us to be and grow in Him, and thus, to seek a relationship with God and a life centered in Christ.
With my wild heart, passionate about the idea of discovering Him more each day.
A Sunday hug!
(Originally published on Sunday, May 6, 2007)
