1 Corinthians 13: 11
A friend of mine sent me a Promise Keepers article last week along with a question...is this the definition of a man? Now, nothing against promise keepers, but they have done as much to build men in this country as I have of building a house on the moon. That's not to say that they have not done well at bringing more than a few men to the Lord, but making men? I don't think so. Yet, one of the main claims of the promise keepers movement has always been "raising men in the Lord." There have been few topics in the christian faith that are written about so often. In fact, if you look into any contemporary christian periodical you will likely see articles on one of a few common topics. These include prayer, bible reading and how to be a man. That's just the way it is. So, what is the definition of a man? Well, I think that there might be two different answers here. One for the christian faith and the other for everything else. However, I think that we can get lost in debating over the definition and yet still ignore what makes a man. Society will tell us that a man is strong willed, tough and hard working. Well, I'm here to tell you that I've seen plenty of men who showed none of these traits. Am I a man? I believe that I am. However, some other shmuck with a alternative agenda might come along and tell me that I'm not. No matter, in my own heart I know who it is, and what it is, that I am. At the end of the day, I'm the only one I need to reassure of my manhood. However, that didn't answer the question did it? What makes a man? We could turn to scripture for help with the answer, but what about the man who for one reason or another has chosen not to follow the Lord? Is he somehow less of a man because he doesn't fit our definition? I don't think so. So, why am I so damn sure that I'm a man? Because I've given up childish things. I no longer depend on someone else to guide me in all I do. I no longer carry with me the habits I carried as a young boy. That's what accepting responsibilities and following through with them will do for a person. Like it or not, there are things the adult man will accomplish that a child can not. That's not saying that a "young" man can not do extraordinary things, but when he does it's considered unique.
”It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”- George S. Patton Jr.
I remember, growing up in the 70's the constant reminders of what a real man was. One couldn't escape the ever present "Marlboro man" ads with the rough and tumble cowboy glaring back at you. By God, THAT was a man! The trouble with this perception is just that...it's a perception. What about the young man who never became a cowboy, or smoked a cigarette or drank a drop of liquor? Is he a man? I'd say yes. Of course, others would disagree. That Marlboro man, that image of what a man was...that was my dad. He embodied all that the world wanted him to do in order to be a man. He smoked, drank and chased women. That's what real men did, right? We've all seen the rituals of joining the ranks of manhood. That first cigar. Your first glass of whiskey or your very first nude magazine. Do that and you'll be a man, my son. Sorry, that doesn't cut it in my book. For I saw what my dad did to maintain his status of being a man, and in the end he lost more than he gained. But, I guess he could call himself a man and hang his hat on that. For the longest time I struggled with feeling like I wasn't a man just because I didn't follow in my own fathers self destructive footsteps. Today I will say I'm more of man for not doing so. Don't get me wrong, my father was a good person, when he wasn't trying to prove himself to others. That, in a nutshell, is the essence of being a man. If you feel the need to prove your manhood to those around you, then you're doing something wrong. For it's not the opinions of others that will guarantee or affirm your manhood. That comes from within. There will come a time, not of our choosing, when we will put away those childish things we once treasured and embrace what it is to be a adult. In that day, the Lord will reveal to those He wishes the true identity of what a man is.
~Scott~
No comments:
Post a Comment