Is The Risk For Heartache Worth Taking, In light Of The Potential Gains In Maturing Forward?

For most men, any supposed "Christian men's group" is reflexively (& covertly) dubbed a heart trap in the making.  Unless the group is clearly defined by some purposeful action.  

Perhaps that purposeful action is Bible study or prayer.  Maybe its missions work, either overseas or domestic.

I can recall many years ago working with a man who absolutely jumped at any and every chance he could to participate in local - disaster relief - mission projects.  These mostly consisted of heavy duty clean up work (landscaping, trash, debris) in order to clear roads and property immediately following a localized natural disaster.  

This man was a draftsmen by trade who worked for a short stint at an architecture firm I was employed with here in Jackson.  He was quite the anomaly relative to his masculinity and subsequent physical prowess.  I remember too that he was very reserved and not at all quick to be provoked.  As such, he was the definitive man's man.

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Attending Samson Society meetings is essentially foreplay to following The Path.  

You get started rounding the bases each time you attend a meeting, and this can go on for years and years so long as you never ask another man to be your Silas.  And a number of guys do this.

Why?

One reason is the risk.  The risk of eventual rejection as friendships change over time.

Friendships aren't meant to last forever, or at least stay relationally constant.  Therefore, some form of rejection is implied therein.  Eventually.

And this is hard to stomach for many men.  Especially guys who're used to boy scout troops or sports teams, all of which promulgate situational friendships between men that have a definitive beginning, activity-based middle, and conclusion (end of season / Webelos).  Even certain work environments serve as stand-ins for men relative to offering up a prepackaged (safe / BPA-free!) opportunities for friendships.

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The foregone conclusion though is that you simply must take the risk if you're going to experience all of God's best for you via the Samson Society.  As such, you will not mature forward - to any real extent - without allowing yourself to get emotionally entangled within the life of at least one other man.  

He also should be a strong pick.  Someone you'll be able to feed from.  Lean on.  Rest in.  And ultimately, be challenged by. 

And yes, it is hard to eventually see those friendships wane, especially when your Silas seems to (more?) naturally cozy up to some other Samson guy.  

So, my advice to you is as follows.

Throw caution to the wind.  Invest in yourself by choosing a Silas today.  From there, stay in the present.  And simply follow The Path.

And remember this.  Your following The Path changes you just as it does your Silas, therefore those changes do often garner platonic movement that then places you in a better position to eventually serve someone else.