Bear Grylls is no metrosexual. He’s not afraid of his masculinity. His show Man vs Wild demonstrates this as he takes on nature for survival. But, don’t let his ruggedness hide the fact that his home life matters more than anything.
In a UK GQ column, Bear gave advice on something near to his heart – marriage. The survivalist lined out tips for surviving the second most important relationship of your life, the one with your spouse.
When you learn more about Grylls, you’ll understand one reason why his marriage is so important to him. He previously spoke with Relevant about his Christian faith.
I remember having one moment when some really good friends turned their back on me in a really nasty way. And I remember praying a simple prayer up a tree one evening and saying, ‘God, if you’re like I knew you as a kid, would you be that friend again?’ And it was no more complicated than that. And actually the amazing thing is that all God asks is that we sort of open the door and He’ll do the rest. So often we kinda hide behind our yearning for love and acceptance with loads of complicated theological questions, and actually once that’s stripped away what we really are is just somebody who wants to have that relationship with your Father.
Obviously, marriage starts with choosing the right partner and recognizing opportunities to constantly improve on that relationship.
“So how do we take care of this precious and fragile thing? First off, remember that there’s no such thing as a “perfect” partner. Marriage is about finding someone whose values and character you love, and then doing everything you can to affirm, encourage and match them.”
Putting your spouse above all else is imperative to a thriving and long lasting marriage. You need to support your partner through thick and thin.
“We must prioritise our partners above everything else: even our kids. Couples often think that the kids should always come first, but smart couples know that the best foundation for the family is their relationship. In protecting that, they can then best love their children.”
This is quite important information. Today’s culture puts the emphasis on our children. We want to create a terrific childhood for our kids and give them tools so they can thrive and succeed in the future. When our eyes are solely focused on our children, the importance of caring for our marriages can take a back seat. But so many fail to recognize that strong marriages create strong children. Children learn about relationships from their parents, so a strong marriage is a terrific example for your kids.
This is excellent advice and one your probably wouldn’t expect from someone who bites the head off a snake to break its neck as Grylls does in the video below. This man seems to be able to survive all kinds of challenging situations, including marriage and faith.
Please share this if you think this is terrific advice. Is there anything you would add?
H/T: Relevant Magazine
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