Be a Man, my Son. 
Pardon the paraphrasing here, but what is man, that he has been made little lower than the angels? What is manliness? What might restored virtue look like? What purpose could valor serve in the 21st Century? Where does God want men today? Who are we to be? What are we to do? How can men find meaning and purpose, acceptance and approval, validation as men? Did God make a mistake, putting wildness in our hearts? God’s glory is man fully alive and man can only be fully alive in Christ!
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I acted like a child. Then I saw through a glass, darkly. Now face to face. I move daily toward a reflection of what Christ wants from me. The face is not mine, it’s His. He wants it all. My attempts to give 110% in sports performance in my youth made no sense for personal or team pride, but they now make sense in Christ. Through Him, I was made to do great deeds. Now the superhero cape I improvised as a four-year old, the Hoppalong Cassidy pearl handled revolvers and holster and white hat make sense. I understand the ecstasy of tackling and blocking with complete abandon. If I do what it is possible for me to do, I lose the transformation. I am weak. If I do what it is possible for God to do, I get it. If I want my life, I must give it all up until it is no longer me but Christ living in me. I am born to transcend my narrow, puny existence. As a man, I am weak. As a man of God, I wear His strength. My life is significant. Fully trusting and dwelling in Christ, I am alive in Him. I have His approval. I press on toward the goal, which again is Him. Christ above me, Christ below me, Christ on my left, Christ on my right, Christ within me.
Back to our Ultimate Fighting Championship. What pressure are these young men under? They are under the pressure of God’s purpose. They are pressured by His Holy Spirit to reach their potential, but they don’t know what he wants them to do. Their fathers didn’t tell them. Their coach didn’t tell them, either. They feel their way in the direction of greatness, but they need help to get there. The Good News must come to them in a timely manner or they will lose the path or worse; they will lose heart. The work of evangelism to men is very important. It is a return to virtue for us all, a return to valor, a return to courage and to selflessness. It will recover chivalry. It is important work. We must give it a very high priority, so that the little boys with capes and high expectations will grow up to be the man that God created them to be, without tragic tears and bitter disappointment. Manhood and fatherhood are important callings. Men's lives are at stake. Learn to stand firm. Gird your loins. Let's go.
Pardon the paraphrasing here, but what is man, that he has been made little lower than the angels? What is manliness? What might restored virtue look like? What purpose could valor serve in the 21st Century? Where does God want men today? Who are we to be? What are we to do? How can men find meaning and purpose, acceptance and approval, validation as men? Did God make a mistake, putting wildness in our hearts? God’s glory is man fully alive and man can only be fully alive in Christ!
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I acted like a child. Then I saw through a glass, darkly. Now face to face. I move daily toward a reflection of what Christ wants from me. The face is not mine, it’s His. He wants it all. My attempts to give 110% in sports performance in my youth made no sense for personal or team pride, but they now make sense in Christ. Through Him, I was made to do great deeds. Now the superhero cape I improvised as a four-year old, the Hoppalong Cassidy pearl handled revolvers and holster and white hat make sense. I understand the ecstasy of tackling and blocking with complete abandon. If I do what it is possible for me to do, I lose the transformation. I am weak. If I do what it is possible for God to do, I get it. If I want my life, I must give it all up until it is no longer me but Christ living in me. I am born to transcend my narrow, puny existence. As a man, I am weak. As a man of God, I wear His strength. My life is significant. Fully trusting and dwelling in Christ, I am alive in Him. I have His approval. I press on toward the goal, which again is Him. Christ above me, Christ below me, Christ on my left, Christ on my right, Christ within me.
Back to our Ultimate Fighting Championship. What pressure are these young men under? They are under the pressure of God’s purpose. They are pressured by His Holy Spirit to reach their potential, but they don’t know what he wants them to do. Their fathers didn’t tell them. Their coach didn’t tell them, either. They feel their way in the direction of greatness, but they need help to get there. The Good News must come to them in a timely manner or they will lose the path or worse; they will lose heart. The work of evangelism to men is very important. It is a return to virtue for us all, a return to valor, a return to courage and to selflessness. It will recover chivalry. It is important work. We must give it a very high priority, so that the little boys with capes and high expectations will grow up to be the man that God created them to be, without tragic tears and bitter disappointment. Manhood and fatherhood are important callings. Men's lives are at stake. Learn to stand firm. Gird your loins. Let's go.
posted by Unknown @ 5:46 PM
1 Comments:
At 2:30 AM, October 29, 2005,
Constantine said…
Kevin,
You said, “It is a return to virtue for us all, a return to valor, a return to courage and to selflessness. It will recover chivalry.”
I agree with your statement if you mean by saying “for us all” the male gender in general. Not just those who are “saved” (wince—I hate what that word has come to mean to so many contemporary Christians).
“Saved” and “damned” alike, as men, it is part of our original make up if you will, or at least I like to hope (wishful thinking?), if only we are encouraged a bit, to exhibit the virtues you espouse above regardless of religious conviction. They have the latent potential to become a common language among men. Alas, many cultures, i.e. Islamic, abuse the “idea” of said virtues to do little more than gain dominance. It’s the old “Master vs. Father” point of reference for them. I would surmise this is because they are internally void of theological balance and as such are insecure. I digress. But for the regular Joe who is not inflicted one way or another by any form of fundamentalism, be it Islamic, Judaic, Christian or otherwise, these virtues can be a launching point for a renewed life, even if at times it’s marked by peril. It is a worthy journey on which to embark. To be sure, if we are in Christ, the virtues you speak of will in due time take on more substance, thus becoming more solid and more real. Who knows? Maybe the virtues of which you speak could occasion a conversion to Christ for someone who otherwise would have little interest in things religious. Maybe the virtues you noted could represent a type of sacramental living for a man—a means of grace so to speak—possibly even unbeknownst to them.
Now, adopting said virtues is a precarious business. As I already cited by way of example above, they easily fall prey to an excessive or inflated “machismo,” which in turn can lead a man who is without proper guidance and direction and self-control to translate valor and courage into something other than their inherent Nobilis Oblige.
I like your entreaty to return to chivalrous virtues, and I find these older, more deeply rooted and even naively romantic notions of chivalry to be irresistible on many levels. Having said that, I’m a fairly egalitarian and progressive fellow where the rights of women are concerned. What I deem as the one grievous flaw of chivalry is the presumed limitation of women. We should grow up as men and be of sound mind and heart. We don’t need to be insecure because a woman shows greatness or intelligence a la Joan of Arc. The ideally chivalrous man is not loud and aggressive. He needn’t believe that unless he asserts control over a woman or child and works to ensure that they take their “proper place” that he is somehow less a man. Indeed, the opposite should be the case. Instead, he should project a gentle, yet paradoxically, confident and resolute aura. Therefore, contrary to stereotype, the ideally chivalrous man is a complex enigma. Case in point, some seem to find it internally necessary for whatever reason to run with the bulls in Pamplona or to take up a “martial art” as a means to ingrain discipline and build inner character and strength or to battle a great Blue Marlin on the open sea. Yet, these same men can be of the most gentle and benevolent disposition. Who knows? Maybe it is the former adventurous spirit, that when properly channeled, engenders the latter behavior. Enigma indeed.
This breed of man and his many virtues and vices often come together to paint a picture of a quixotic fool. I’ll refer to one of my favorite pieces of literature—“The Old Man and the Sea.” It reveals the beautifully sad and sometimes tragic truth of the inner man and his life struggle. Beware Hemingway haters. If you read this novel of his, you may discover to your chagrin that his infamous “machismo” was not entirely devoid of merit.
Kevin, you also said, “…without the tragic tears and bitter disappointment.” I say that comes with the territory bro.
Btw, have you ever had the pleasure of reading Mark Helprin? His male protagonists embody much of what I’m trying to convey. Take up and read his “Memoir from Antproof Case” and see what I mean. If you do, let me know.
Note: I answered your response on my Blog to my “Bully” post.
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