If you were going to forge a sword what kind of metal would you use? Would you want to use a soft, pliable metal like aluminum or copper? Or would you want to use something that might be hard, a metal that you would have to heat to great temperatures in order to make a weapon that would stand up to the battle that you might be facing? If I have the option to choose the type of metal I can use I can promise you that I would choose iron over aluminum each and every time. I don't want the weapon that I am carrying into battle to dull and fail when I need it most. To be a man is just the same way. You can either be filled with things that will make you stronger or you can fill yourself with things that won't last or make you any better of a man.
One of the things that I see as lacking in men that I encounter today is that they lack authentic masculinity. Masculinity is generally understood as having the characteristics of "maleness." But the key ingredient to this is simple, it is the strength that is deep within each of us. From the time you were a kid which character were you drawn to, He Man, big and strong, saving the day at the end of every cartoon show or were you attracted to the weak and feeble characters on Saturday morning cartoons. Was it GI Joe or did you prefer a weaker program? If you are like me you wanted to watch the show where the bad guy got his tail kicked week in and week out by the hero. The natural tendency of every boy is to lean towards competitiveness and aggression but sadly we are taking this away from our boys. We have allowed teams to give "participation" trophies, we reward mediocre effort with a celebration. I don't know about you but when I was a kid and we lost, frankly, it sucked. It hurt to the point I was in tears. I can recall getting so mad over losing a simple game of Tecmo Bowl Football that I was ready to fight my best friend. But along with all this aggressive and competitive nature we should be cultivating a developing moral, mental, social, and spiritual strength in our boys. To be the man that we each called to be we will need all those tools in our tool boxes when we strike out on our own.
If a man doesn't develop a sense of fortitude aka GUTS they will never attempt anything hard or anything deemed impossible, they won't be able to successfully lead their families, fight for the right things in life, or confront evil and injustice when it comes up in front of them. You will have boys in men's bodies that are irresponsible, passive cowards. Men that have no spine and can't or won't stand up for what is right.
Now ladies, I am in no way beating up on you with what I am about to say but, the opposite of being masculine is to be feminine, which by definition means to be soft, pretty, and delicate. Which by the plan laid down by God is a PERFECT complement to man. God intentionally made woman somewhat weaker than man so that man would view woman with reverence and treat her with the honor and respect that she is deserving of. Man was not made to be woman and woman was not made to be man. We, men and women, have allowed an agenda through the women's liberation movement to tell us something contrary to what God has shown us in His Word. We have heard for years that women are to stand up and be strong and for men to sit down and shut up. Well someone please tell me how that is working out in our society. We have a generation of men that won't step up, that won't stand for anything, and when things get hard they run away and quit. True masculinity, the way God intends, doesn't allow for this. He calls for the father to step and call out the man in his son.
It is my job to tell my sons when they are a man, it is not his football coach's job, or some other persons job, it is my responsibility. I should challenge them to embrace manhood and the responsibility that comes along with it. I should show them how to walk, talk, and act like a man, but not just a man, a Godly man. The should hear and see me pray, they should see the way I honor and treat my wife, and they should see me make a stand for right when it is necessary.
Men, when things get tough, DON'T QUIT! DON'T GIVE UP! When everything seems to be against you, stop and pray, don't run away, step up and face the challenges that are placed in your path. When you fall or fail, seek forgiveness, then stand back up, dust yourself off, and start back down the road again. Pick back up the responsibilities that are uniquely yours and carry on. And when the enemy attacks, trust me he will, go the place where you have the most strength. Get deep into God's word and allow it to permeate the whole of your life. If you do you will have the strength to resist the temptation to walk away. You must keep doing the right thing and keep fighting for yourself and your family. Keep doing what is true and noble in God's sight!
Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians 16:13, "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." I can't explain it any better than Paul just did. We all have to do this in order to be the men that we are called to be. We have to do this to be found faithful. BE WATCHFUL! STAND FIRM! ACT LIKE MEN! BE STRONG! Each one of us has a choice, we can either be made of iron or we can be made of aluminum.
Which metal are you made of?
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