And just as it is appointed for people to die once — and after this, judgment — so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. Hebrews 9:27-28
You only live once. This is a great lie of the evil antagonist of our souls. The enemy wants us to believe that this life is all there is and beyond that lays a great chasm of nothing—a cessation of existence with our final breath that commences into an eternal rest of mind and soul.
The famous and daring Bear Grylls enjoyed two successful seasons of Running Wild with celebrity guests. In each episode, the survivalist adventurer took a Hollywood star or a sports celebrity on a 48 hour adventure within the most dangerous and breathtaking landscapes around the globe. Their fears are pushed to the limit, and their wits and wills tested, as they faced dangerous terrain and death defying obstacles to get to a predetermined extraction point and the completion of their journey.
In one 2014 episode, guest adventurer rookie, Zac Efron is challenged by Bear to cross achasm by sliding on his belly on a single rope with no safety net to catch him should he plunge to a rocky death. A maneuver utilized by military personnel and taught in basic training is quickly tutored to Efron minutes before he braves this endeavor hundreds of feet above a rocky freefall. Upon completion, Efron and Grylls rest to reflect on the parallels of this accomplishment and life’s challenges. Efron looks at the beauty of the Appalachian Mountain Range then looks back at Bear Grylls and communicates what we have embraced as a culture paralyzed in the temporary, “this is all there is, you only live once you know?”
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