Finding Bigfoot, Following Jesus

Okay, confession time . . . my family and I have been watching “Finding Bigfoot” on Sunday nights on Animal Planet. Our new family phrase is “It’s looking pretty squatchy out here.” . . . Don’t click away. Hear me out.

In every single episode, the BFRO (Big Foot Research Organization) travels the globe (where do they get all that money?!) to search out any shred of evidence on the mythical creatures. But each show has the same plot. A solid hour of showing the photograph or video footage of a blurry image, talking to the witnesses, surveying the locals, then spending all night in the cold forest with the finest tracking equipment mankind offers. Every episode puts the three man-one woman team right on the verge of discovery. But every episode ends with yet another near miss and Sasquatch eludes them once again.

So, how long have these men been traveling the globe seeking proof of their life’s calling? . . . Twenty-five years. . . . Yeah, like two and a half decades. When you hear the main three guys on this team talk, they don’t speak in “if’s or maybe’s,” but certainties. They’re all in.

So, here’s the real reason I’ve been intrigued by this show. The BFRO Team is totally sold out that Big Foot not only exists all over the world, but that the very next trip will be the magic moment when they finally find the object of their faith and prove to the world that they are not crazy. These guys exhibit an amazing, undeniable, and unquestionable faith. They display a passion and excitement when they speak of their mission that, frankly, you rarely see today in any church.

Here’s the challenge the BFRO has presented me and I now want to present to you: Do these guys display a greater faith in their urban legend than you and I do for our Lord and Savior?

The lost world around us can easily drive by our churches and listen to our stories of faith and put us in the same category as those who chase Big Foot. . . . “Let me get this straight. You actually believe that an invisible, omniscient Being created the world, then sent His Son to die, and now just by believing in Him, you are going to live with Him forever in eternal bliss? Oh, and then there’s that part where He may just show up in the clouds one day to take all the true believers home.” . . . When you read that description and put your feet in the shoes of a man with zero faith, it doesn’t sound that far away from the tale of a giant, hairy, ape-like creature that lives in the woods, does it?

So, as you walk through this lost world today, remember three things:

1—People want desperately to put their faith in something.

2—Be patient with your lost buddies, but yet be bold, because to them, your belief can sound a little crazy.

3—Let’s be sure we’re more sold-out about following Jesus than the BFRO guys are about chasing Big Foot.

Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. —Hebrews 11:1 CEV

“I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” —Jesus in Luke 22:32 NIV