The Men In My Life

As men in the world, we are expected to be strong.  We are expected to slay dragons, to fight for the princess, to conquer the land.  There are great pressures to be successful in this, all the while never showing any weakness. 


I know this sounds like a fairytale or the latest blockbuster movie, the fact is, that it is just that.  It's garbage.  As much as I want to be the hero of this tale and fight like a warrior there is much that I lack.  This is just the truth. 


In a secular world where a Christian is bombarded with temptation, sin, anger, stress and much more, we have to accept the truth...we lose.  As mere mortals we lack the capability, we lack the endurance to fight on our own every day.  Too often this is what we do.  Life gets busy and as men we try to make the best of it.  We try to do our best, treating our kids nice, trying to talk to our wives nice, trying to keep in contact with friends on a regular basis.  We let life get the best of us and we get distracted. 

For some, it might take twenty to thirty years to wake up and realize they are doing it all wrong.  God knows we are up against a unscalable wall.  That is why the bible shows us the importance of community.  Over the past two years I have made it a priority to accept my weakness and surround myself with people that can help me stay strong.  Over the last seven months I have taken that to a deeper level.  Getting out of my comfort zone, sacrificing time, effort, and money I have surrounded myself with God seeking men to lift them up and also be encouraged by them.  These are my life-line for making sure I am loving my wife the way God says I should, loving on my kids, and being a man of integrity.  The value of these relationships cannot be computed.  There is no comparison.  These are true brothers.  This is the way I want to show people what friendships really mean.  Deep friendships are not forged out of conveyance or similarities.  They are strengthened by guys that will get in your face, tell you to stop screwing up and will support you along the way.  They are reinforced by commitment even when you don't feel like going out of your way. 


I look forward to deepening my friendship in this way with other men who realize that we cannot conquer alone.  My challenge to you is to start opening up to men you trust, take that friendship to a deeper level.  It will be awkward or hard at first, but over time you are going to wish you would have done this sooner.