In the firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden, Navy SEAL Mark Owen describes the members of SEAL Team Six: “We are not superheroes, but we all share a common bond in serving something greater than ourselves. It is a brotherhood that ties us together, and that bond is what allows us to willingly walk into harm’s way together.” (No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy SEAL)
I believe that hardwired into the masculine heart is a longing to be part of such a brotherhood. Vietnam Veteran, William Broyles, in his book entitled, Brothers in Arms,looks back to his battlefield experience: “A part of me loved war. Now please understand I am a peaceful man, fond of children and animals. And I believe that war should have no place in the affairs of men. But THE CAMARADERIE our platoon experienced in that war provides an enduring and moving memory in me.”
David’s bond with his fellow-warrior and friend was so strong that upon Jonathan’s death he lamented, “Your love for me was more wonderful than that of a woman.” Army Ranger, Stu Weber comments: "What the son of Jesse expressed without shame in that lament was something that has burned deep in the soul of every man in one way or another for generations beyond memory. A desire for friendship, man to man. A desire for friendship with nothing between. A yearning for friendship so real, so strong, so compelling, it is willing to share everything about itself and make deep and powerful promises.Down deep at the core, every man needs a friend.Down deep at the core, every man needs a brother to lock arms with." (Locking Arms)
I believe there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Christian men around the country who are tasting this kind of brotherhood bond because they have invited another man to stand with them on the battlefield of their spiritual struggles. After all, choosing to follow Christ is not merely signing our name to an eternal life insurance policy. It is enlisting in the cause of Christ—the overthrow of sin and the establishment of his righteousness over the planet. We are called to battle sin in our own hearts, in our marriages, and in our homes. We are to battle for biblical truth at work, in our neighborhoods, and throughout the culture as salt and light.
Have you invited a brother onto the spiritual battlefield of your life to fight beside you, pick you up when you fall, and watch your back?
It is not easy to forge such brotherhood bonds in our own lives nor among the men we serve. But we must not lower the bar on what we and our men NEED.
May God breathe fresh fire into our souls over this truth: He never intended for a Christian man to fight his spiritual battles alone. Men are designed to walk into harm’s way like SEAL Team Six—strengthened by the reality that their band of brothers is by their side.
Here is a great resource to help you forge the brotherhood bonds men need.
