In culture, we see a definition of manhood that makes a man into an idiotic goober of sorts.
We go to work, earn our money and give our family second fiddle to everything else that could advance us. We watch commercials that make us look like drunken goof balls who do nothing but golf and drink Budweiser. We see other commercials that make us as men look incompetent, heartless and dumb.
Perfect example of this is a commercial I saw about a phone company. The woman is on the phone calling the company sharing how her husband messed up the phone set up. In the background, her husband is wrestling with a phone wire yelling to his wife to stop calling because he's got it. Eventually, the person on the phone shares with the wife what to do and she flips a switch and everything is OK.
Now, it's OK to have a funny commercial, but most commercials make men look stupid and make a definition that shows us men that this is what is expected of us and so, sadly many men grow into that definition.
Men, we are more than Bafoons! We are called by God to be more. It's awesome to be goofy and funny, but when all we are is a joke, the Devil has won and we are not living in our calling as men.
We are the covering over our families. We are the ones who are to protect those we lead. We have a high calling. We are to be godly husbands, godly sons, godly fathers, godly leaders of our households, yet I fear we have given up some of these rights.
As the covering of our families, we are the preachers and teachers in our household. This means, we need to be in the Word with our family and if we're single, we need to be in the Word ourselves, so when we have a family, we can be prepared for the teaching we will bring to our families. As men, we must step up to the plate and accept our role as story tellers to our friends and families.
Here is a heavy thought: as men, we are responsible for our families. We are responsible to tell the stories of God rescuing us. We are responsible to share the Biblical stories of Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration. We are to share the Biblical narrative with those around us.
Psalm 44:1 says: "...O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us,what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old..." (Psalm 44:1)
I want MJ to say that to God one day. I want my son to stand before the throne of God, when he begins to own his own faith and claim Jesus as his Lord, I want him to say: "I have heard with my ears from my Daddy what deeds you performed in his life and in the days of old".
I need to tell the stories of my families fall, redemption and restoration because they are there. I can't hide my families past junk in hopes of "protecting my child" because God has done GREAT things. His deeds have been mighty. His deeds have bee powerful. His deeds have been redemptive and restorative.
We can be goofy with our kids, we can be goofy with our lives, but lets not goof up our responsibility to teach our children. We have the honor of sharing God's stories with our families. Pray for the family, pray with your family.
My favorite time of the day is Bible time with Hilary and MJ. Each night, we sit in the rocking chair and read the Bible together. MJ knows it's coming because he asks for his "special water" and then "Bible!" When he opens up the pages to Adam and Eve, he shouts: "No Apple!". When he opens up the pictures of Jesus, he exclaims: "Jesus! Kiss Jesus!". These moments make me want to cry because he sees the importance of the Bible and of Jesus.
We close our family devotions with a prayer and he squeezes his little eyes shut to pray. After about 7 seconds, he starts rubbing my hair or talking over the prayer but he's getting it!
We as men need to leave the world's definition of Manhood behind and embrace our God given definition, which includes being God's story tellers to our families!
Marv Nelson
Student Ministries Pastor
ACAC
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