Wingman

I can understand why you would think that the wingman idea came from Top Gun. I thought so too. You know what a wingman is, the pilot on your wing who flies next to you, working in tandem, to conqueror the bandit ensuring that you’re not caught by an unsuspecting bogey.

This idea has translated into a common idea amongst guys, the wingman. The guy who sticks with you, helps you out, watches your back. The guy you can count on to be looking out for your best interest, whose direction is aligned with yours.

I came to the conclusion in thinking about it that the idea actually started in the Bible. Think about it… when Jesus was hanging on the cross, what’s one of the key things he did. He looked at John (the disciple Jesus loved) and directed that His (Jesus’) Mother was now his mother and John, her son. Jesus was about to die and never live the ‘normal’ life on earth again. His mom was already a widow. Jesus was her firstborn son. Without Jesus to take care of her, she may well end up as a city beggar. Jesus needed his best guy to come through for him and look out for his interests where He couldn’t. He needed His wingman to come through for Him.

And how about David and Jonathan? These guys were tight. Jonathan realized that David’s future as king meant that he would not be king. Even so, he protected David from Saul (Jonathan’s Dad, the king), risking his own life. These guys had a great friendship that money, power, fear, none of our normal motivators got in the way of.

What I’m talking about is much deeper than just a friend or just a person to keep you accountable. I’m talking about someone who knows everything about you and likes and trusts you throughout. Even when you don’t feel the same way about yourself.

I’ve got a great wingman or two and I wouldn't trade it. If you can’t say that you do, you’re missing out. Go find one, make one, whatever it takes. Look around at your close friends. Try to develop that kind of a friendship. Pray for God to bring someone into your life.

“That was some great flying, right up until the point that you got killed. You never ever leave your wingman.”

Out.