“Don't wait to make your son a great man - make him a great boy.”
Recently, the Boy Scouts of America announced that the organization will begin accepting girls as members, thus ending their uniqueness. Many commentators have lamented the moral decline of the Boy Scouts, seen in the organization’s continued capitulation to the ideology of contemporary mores. Since its inception, the Boy Scouts offered a pathway from boyhood to manhood, a vision of the good life that brought together nature and nurture and lifting up a moral vision to be pursued and cherished.
Spending time outdoors with others in community was a way of traveling the ancient path of wisdom and virtue. Wisdom: learning how to flourish by living according to the grain of the universe. Virtue: choosing patterns of life that lead to the development of moral intuitions and character growth.
The Scouts offered a way for boys to track their progression toward the fulfillment of an idealized manhood. All the knot-tying and skills-learning were primarily about bringing yourself in line with the way the world works. It was about preparing and becoming a man, a man of character.
Today’s culture overflows with examples of “boy-men”– men who live in perpetual adolescence, never quite outgrowing juvenile behavior. Achievement today is mastering the latest video game, winning at beer pong, or sexual triumphs. Earlier generations of men achieved the traditional benchmarks of masculine maturity via marriage, parenting, stable employment, and a completed education by their twenties.
Very few do that today. Over the past several years, there have been a number of studies conducted where thousands of women were asked what traits come to mind when they think of the typical man today. Commonly used labels weren’t complimentary. They used terms like: Narcissistic, Perverted, Emotionally stunted, Deficient in communication skills, Unreliable, Afraid of commitment, Lazy. The typical profile of a 25-year old man today is drastically different than it was in past generations.
We could bemoan this, criticize and even ridicule young men…or we could do something supremely biblical. We censure the next generation for being irresponsible, so why don’t we determine to take responsibility to help the next generation in our midst? As a church, we can be part of the solution. We must seek to encourage redemptive manhood. It’s an ancient path that hasn’t gone away. It includes wisdom and virtue, though showered by divine grace. This path is clearer and more appealing than ever. The One who walked it before us made sure that it was narrow.
What can we do to give godly guidance to young men? There’s no magic formula. God must be at work in teaching us and our boys. It’s God that must be the one who causes them to grow (1 Corinthians 3:7), but we can plant and water. A vital way though that we can help the next generation is by first modeling for them what it is to be a man. So, what are some marks of maturity? In the Bible, maturity is always spiritual. It’s wisdom in knowing God and His will and applying it to your life (Proverbs 1:1-7).
Each Christian man must determine to set an example by his own manhood. He must commit to be like Paul, who said, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” That’s a big challenge and every man fails to live up to it at some point. In no special order, here are some traits that we must teach to boys to help them become men.
Take responsibility. Boys run from responsibility; men run toward it. Men hold down a job, know what it is to be committed and act maturely. If he doesn’t, then he’s little more than a boy with a beard (Prov. 10:1).
Have a backbone. Being a man means you must have the courage to take a stand for what’s right. It means speaking up for the powerless, defending the weak, fighting injustice and fighting for your family (1 Cor. 13:13).
If you have a wife and family, provide for them. Your wife and children must know you’re willing to go hungry to make sure that they don’t. It’s not the government’s job to take care of them. It’s yours. There’s no shame in asking for assistance if you need it, but you must be willing to work hard and take an unfulfilling job to take care of your family (2 Thes. 3:10).
Control your emotions. Emotions are God-given. There are healthy and important ways to express them. Don’t be ruled by them. If you don’t learn to master anger and other emotions, they’ll master you (Prov. 29:11).
Keep your commitments. Pay your debts, keep your word, and always speak the truth. When you’ve blown it, admit it and seek forgiveness. Don’t make your decisions based on your feelings; make your choices based on your commitments (Psalm 15:4).
Trust God. God made you and His plan for your life is the only plan that counts. Don’t be foolishly prideful so that you try to do it on your own. Life is meant to be lived in relationship and dependence on Him. If you walk with Him, you’re always headed in the right direction! (Prov. 3:5-6).
A godly man isn’t perfect. None of us will reach perfection until we’re in the presence of Jesus. A godly man though embraces manhood and knows that Jesus, not a lost world, sets the standard for what it means to be a man. He strives daily to model his life after Christ. He doesn’t excuse sin or weakness, but continually surrenders those areas to God and asks for His grace in overcoming them. Regardless of physical appearance, social status, or economic standing, each man can be a godly man if he loves God with all his heart and seeks to obey Him in every area of his life.
May God give us godly men and may God help us to help the young men in our midst to mature into being godly men!
Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.
No comments:
Post a Comment