Masculinity? 6 - Be a Man!

COMPARISONS
"If I set the sun beside the moon,
And if I set the land beside the sea,
And if I set the town beside the country,
And if I set the man beside the woman,
I suppose some fool would talk about one being better."
- G.K. Chesterton

I've switched it up a little here from my original intention. I do not like the term glory-bearers. I get the impression and the meaning, but no-one really can carry God's glory. As fallen man, it isn't possible right now. The original intent was to go off Paul's writing in Corinthians and Ephesians where he very plainly lays out the fact that "man is the image and glory of God: but woman is the glory of man." As well, "so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands." I still will, but I changed it up.

How does this tie into me raising Seth into a biblical form of masculinity:

BE A MAN!

Having your wife submit to you doesn't me you walk around shirtless drinking beer, watching COPS, beating your wife, and watching porn. It's not keeping her barefoot and pregnant. It's not sitting around all day playing games. I would go so far as to say it is never being Mr. Mom, outside the most extenuating circumstances someone could ever endure! Being a man is not being macho, but standing up, having a backbone and character. It is working hard and making the tough decision. It's raising a family and not running when the going gets tough.

Being a man carries a massive burden. Boys must be instructed on how to grow up into glory and how to fulfill their responsibility to be representative, responsible, and holy.

I am not sure where sitting on the couch fits into that equation there? I am not sure were mom leaving the home to go work full-time to support the family fits in there? I am not sure where divorce fits in there? I am not sure where abusing your wife and kids fits in there? I am not sure where quiting fits in there? I can't see at all where effeminacy fits in.

I see where love fits in. I see where strength fits in. I see where accountability fits in. I see where the bare bones of the facts are, the health of the family and the church falls onto the shoulders of men. These distinctions are not made in the interests of winning some kind of competition. When the Bible assigns one kind of glory to man and another kind of glory to woman, our modern egalitarian bigotries prevent us from seeing that they are different kinds and levels of glory. Man isn't suppose to stand around when leadership and a decision needs to be made. Man abdicates his role when he waits for someone else to do so.

This is what I have struggled with as my son will one day grow into a man, leave Michele and I to fight the dragon and rescue his beauty. To start the cycle all over again. To be a man in his household who makes the hard decisions and stands up when they are wrong and fail just as easy when he makes the right one.

As a man, he carry's the glory of God with him. I want him to stand before God, in the worship of God, with head uncovered. Not cowering in fear, hiding behind a mask, and too scared to decide. It is a struggle for me, because I fail miserably at some of these same exact things I have been "preaching" about over the last couple of weeks. It is the struggle of man.

To conclude this whole series of posts....

I want my boy(s) to be aggressive and adventurous. To be patient and hardworking. Not just to hate evil but have a deep desire to fight it. Eager to learn and be wise. Stand up. Fight when its a must. Learn what it feels like to hold a weapon in their hand. Use their hands, and back, and masculinity to love his wife. Be her provider. Fight for her. Be an example of strength. Lead his family. Be a man.

And it all sounds grand and romantic and completey awesome until...









I want him to learn all of that from me. There's the rub.