What Is A Man? Some thoughts…

I was raised in a time when some things were clearly defined and expected. They were not as conflicting or confusing as now. How well such expectations were met, largely depended on the character and conviction of the individual. Consequently in my younger years there was much to live up to.

However, time has a way of changing things; some for the worse, others for the better. The same is true for the individual, depending upon how they are embraced. Now as a man in my older years fast moving, with much to rethink, there remains much to live up to.

So I ponder a question, with some thoughts here… What Is A Man?

What I Thought A Man Should Be (BEFORE*)

One who is:
- Provider – breadwinner, overseer & supplier for the needs of his wife and family, or if single, for those who have no such present person
- Protector – willing & able to fight, defending & preserving his family, or others more vulnerable ~ with:
- Prowess – capably able & willing to enter in, in control managing his circumstances & emotions as lead by God, all for the better good

BUT Are You Still A Man If You Aren’t So Able?

What if:
- you are disabled physically, mentally?
- you loose your ability to Provide & Protect?
- you loose your Prowess?
What then?

What I Believe A Man Should Be (NOW*),

One who is:
- Committed – Lives his core convictions in private with family & in public with others, and continually learns when he fails to do so..
- Curious – Asks the hard questions but never settles for easy answers, even when it is more expedient for him.
- Courageous – Seeks a cause or purpose greater than himself that he alone cannot achieve, yet pursues it anyway.
- Confident – Engages his own strengths well, without hesitation, while well knowing his own weaknesses.
- Compassionate – Restores the image of God, broken in the souls of Men, and does so only as a directed instrument in God’s Hand.