Bear Grylls has built a career by surviving some of the world’s harshest environments. But in a new op-ed for The Times, the survivalist and TV personality shares what has sustained him more than any gear or training ever could: the quiet, daily choice to follow Jesus.
“At heart, my Christian faith tells me I will never walk alone, and that I have the light of the Almighty within me,” he writes. “The most beautiful part is that this gift is given to any of us freely when we simply ask.”
It’s not the first time Grylls has spoken about his beliefs—he’s been open for years about the impact faith has had on his life and is currently partnering with The Chosen creator Dallas Jenkins on a new faith-based adventure series. But this latest reflection is his most vulnerable yet. He writes candidly about failure, pride and the emptiness that comes from trying to do life on your own.
“In years gone by, I have ignored my faith and tried to do life without it,” he writes. “I have tried to be strong only in myself. But I have found that my heart is restless until I open the door to Christ again.”
The turning point, he says, came as a teenager when he first began reading the Gospels and noticing a pattern: “Whoever [Jesus] met — rich, poor, sick, healthy, preacher or prostitute, powerful leader or simple fisherman — no one ever seemed to walk away unchanged.”
That encounter with Jesus still shapes his life. “None of us deserves this gift. I certainly don’t,” he writes. “If anything, I am more aware than ever how often I have failed, yet still I am forgiven. That’s why Christ turned everything on its head. His forgiveness is free because he has paid the price. He took our place on the Cross. He died to set us free. It’s the greatest story ever told.”
He acknowledges that people often see faith as weakness—a crutch. But to him, that’s not an insult. “But what does a crutch do? It helps us stand and walk on in life, even when we have wounds and hurts. I like that.”
“My longing for this life within me is stronger than the fear of what others may think,” he writes. “I am not too proud to admit that I need my Saviour beside me, within me.”
Grylls closes his piece with the kind of challenge his readers might expect—not about survival, but about surrender.
“To choose to have a faith takes courage,” he writes. “All too often it is the tougher path, but life and the wild have taught me that the tougher path often ends up being the most fulfilling one.”
