BACK FROM THE HOLIDAY BREAK! On to the C2 Blog...
Men (all those of the male gender)... it's time to man up, check your pride for few minutes and hear me out.
Over the last several years I've noticed a sudden increase in boyhood and a sharp decline of genuine men in society. Manhood today is a joke. It's so rare for women to see true gentlemen that when they encounter one, they have no idea how to react or think. Almost uniformly women have lowered their standards for men for a variety of reasons:
1. Because they, themselves, act as "girls" and have no expectations other than purely self-centered ones (don't believe me, watch some of these ridiculous "women" parading around reality television... I digress)
2. They think the only way to keep a "man" is to meet his expectations (so they adjust to him and his standards)
3. Wishful thinking – hoping the boy grows into a man (unfortunately this doesn’t happen as regularly as we think it does)
I could keep going, but I think you get it. So what’s the point? I’m sick of seeing boys parading around as men. These boys range in age from teens to the elderly. They’re single, they’re husbands, they’re fathers, and they’re grandfathers. Why do I call them boys?
1. They focus on boyish things and put everyone else second to their whimsical “needs” (cars/trucks, houses, money, fame, random hookups/sexual relationships with no thoughts of commitment, living with a girl versus showing her he’s truly committed by marrying her, time with the other “boys” instead of being at home with their wife and kids, being lazy and making their wife work as well as take care of the home and kids while they do as they please, etc.)
2. They have no respect for women. In some instances women are nothing more than sexual objects. And don’t get me started on this culture that refers to (and wants) this precious gender whom God created to be a “helper” and companion for man as “ho’s,” b******, and other degrading names (SIDE NOTE: women, seriously - stop letting them get away with it!). Fellas – ANYONE can do the physical stuff… only real men know how to truly captivate a woman’s heart and attention. It’s not a game and women aren’t a prize to be won. They’re a valuable treasure!
3. They have no chivalry – no honor – no integrity – no dignity. Instead they live by one motto: “I’m a Man!” NEWS FLASH: Real men step up, own up, man up, serve (especially their wife and children), love, live right (even when no one’s looking), teach by word and example, and live by THE standard (God’s Word). They lose their pride and put on the coat of humility. None of this “because I’m a man” garbage. Real men step up.
Why such a harsh tone? Because sometimes the situation calls for it. Over the last several weeks I’ve seen some pretty horrendous things (with my own eyes) and had similar stories shared with me by family and friends as I’ve shared my heart with them. Here are some of these “men’s” shining moments:
- Standing in a Taco Bell line waiting for food, a 16 year old male publicly gropes his girl friend as they wait for their food. No thought of the fact that her body belongs to her future husband (and his hands to his future wife) or the fact that he’s degrading her publicly!
- Several instances of a boy “showing” his girl friend how much he “loves” her by hiding the true nature of their relationship in the backseat of his car, taking her clothes off and exposing her (and him) to public embarrassment as they are caught. How romantic! How patient! How kind!
- A married man making lewd comments to married, female coworkers, masking them as “a joke.”
- A wife eating leftovers at work and sharing with her coworkers that her husband made them and the room of women begins to fall in love with her husband for loving her that way. They say “my husband never…” or “I wish my husband would…”
- A husband who won’t take care of his own children – leaving it to the wife or family. Discipline? Forget it. Feeding them? Too hard/time consuming. Getting them ready for school? Not my job. Kids being kids and making noise? Too much to handle – someone else deal with them.
That's just a sample - I've got far too many examples to post on one blog.
Even non-Christian recording artist Beyonce wrote a VERY POWERFUL song recently about this topic, called “If I Were a Boy” (note the “boy” part of the title… not “man”). In it she sings about how she would live if she were a boy, like those in her life. Never heard it? Listen to it here (lyrics are here):
Men, this is an indictment on us, the God-chosen leaders! What happened?!?! How did we come so far?
Where do we go from here?
I am not perfect, nor am I everything my wife deserves on a daily basis. But I promise you, my heartbeat is to “put away childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11) and grow as the man God has created me to be. How do we do that?
First – swallow the pride! If we cannot humble ourselves there is no hope. If we cannot see that we are part of the problem, we’ll never be part of the solution. 1 John 1:8, 10 – “if we say we are without sin, then we deceive ourselves and the Truth is not in us…” and “we make [God] a liar.”
Second – repent! Time to change. Confess to God in the stillness of your room your shortcoming and boyish heart and ask Him to change you. Ask that He help you see how to be the man He’s called you to be… the man your wife/future wife deserves… the example your children ought to see. 1 John 1:9 – “if we confess our sin, [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
Third – MAN UP! Realize the calling God has placed on our lives. The tremendous responsibility He has placed on us as leaders of our homes.
Blessings,
Christian
A man learning daily to put away childish things.
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2 comments:
I have to say, I really appreciate this post. As a married man of 31+ years, it breaks my heart to see the way boys (who are trying to act like men) disrespect young ladies they are supposed to care about. When I see this kind of behavior I can't but wonder how they can be so mindless to portray someone they care about as nothing more than an EASY sex object. I only wish they could see their behavior through my eyes and truly understand what they are really doing.
My wife and I raised two grown sons and a daughter. We tried very hard to instill in the boys the importance of respecting not only other people but especially the fact that it was imperative they respect the opposite sex. We also ingrained in our daughter the importance of NOT going out with any boy that did not show her the respect she is due. I'm proud to say I believe they followed our teachings which is evidenced by the fact that they are all happily married Christians who are married to extremely wonderful Christians.
I have just one comment to all young men out there who cannot or will not control their hormones, "Imagine how it would feel to walk into an establishment and see your Mom, your sister, or even your own daughter being fondled by a man-wanna-be who had no understanding of respect."
well said. thanks for the comment. :-)
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