Our identity is an important thing. How we identify ourselves runs deeply in our souls and effects our lives and behaviour in profound ways. For men, our masculine identity is especially critical and influential. Even bringing up the topic causes tension to rise and feelings to flare in many directions.
I just spent a weekend with around 100 men and had a blast. I was impressed with the qualities of the men I was with. They strengthened me, they encouraged me, they toughened me up, they had fun and goofed off and yet they engaged seriously in the important issues in their lives. They prayed, worshipped and sought God together. As I was sitting in a meeting with all these men and reflecting on this I wondered to myself, "Where in our culture do we need to work at redefining manhood? What are some of the surprising traits of a real man?"
Here are a few thoughts I had...
1. A real man knows how to walk away from a fight.
(In case this one is too surprising for you let me list a couple of Proverbs among many. Note that these are written from a manly father to a son and inspired by the Holy Spirit of our Father God.)
Proverbs 15:18 "A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them.
Proverbs 20:3 "Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling."
2. A real man knows how to serve.
3. A real man fears God.
4. A real man has compassion for the hurting and protects the vulnerable.
5. A real man listens and learns.
Invite God to help you redefine your manhood on His terms. He invented it and He is the only one who can help you get it right.
I just spent a weekend with around 100 men and had a blast. I was impressed with the qualities of the men I was with. They strengthened me, they encouraged me, they toughened me up, they had fun and goofed off and yet they engaged seriously in the important issues in their lives. They prayed, worshipped and sought God together. As I was sitting in a meeting with all these men and reflecting on this I wondered to myself, "Where in our culture do we need to work at redefining manhood? What are some of the surprising traits of a real man?"
Here are a few thoughts I had...
1. A real man knows how to walk away from a fight.
(In case this one is too surprising for you let me list a couple of Proverbs among many. Note that these are written from a manly father to a son and inspired by the Holy Spirit of our Father God.)
Proverbs 15:18 "A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them.
Proverbs 20:3 "Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling."
2. A real man knows how to serve.
3. A real man fears God.
4. A real man has compassion for the hurting and protects the vulnerable.
5. A real man listens and learns.
Invite God to help you redefine your manhood on His terms. He invented it and He is the only one who can help you get it right.
