Being A Man

"You didn't wanna throw your fishing line in that old mainstream." - Todd Snider

I've been reading a book entitled Wild At Heart by John Eldgredge. To be blunt, it's about how modern Christianity has castrated men. According to this ideal, men aren't supposed to drink, smoke, fart, burp, discipline their kids, stand up to one another, etc. Eldgredge argues that, hey, we weren't created to live this way. God created us the way we are for a reason. I mean, look at Jesus. If you can tell me that he didn't piss anyone off, I'll call you a liar.

I'm not saying it's ok to piss people off in the name of Jesus.

I am here to say that it's perfectly ok to be honest in the name of Jesus. Being a follower of Jesus means that most of the time, we're going to flow against conventional wisdom and what our society sees as common sense. Instead of shriveling up and fleeing when it comes to the fight, we're supposed to stand up. That's what makes us men. We want to battle. We like to fight. We don't like people telling us when we're wrong. That's how we were created, and I'm starting to get more and more comfortable in that role.

The mainstream would tell me that I'm way off track. My main focus should be how much money I can make before I die, how big my house is, how new my pickup is and the boat that gets towed behind it. Living together before marriage isn't just ok, it's the smart thing to do. Sex doesn't mean anything. It's purely physical.

I'm tired of that bullshit. As Mr. Snider says, I don't want a part of that stream (in full disclosure, that particular song is about a pool hustler who looks up an old classmate who has chosen a life of prostitution. I love the song and the line).

I'm not ashamed of the Gospel anymore. Now, this isn't a call for me to be judgmental towards fellow men and women, rather, it is a call for me to correct, with love, where Christ's words call for it. And I expect you all to do the same for me. 

It's very freeing for me to know that God has created me this way and that I don't have to fight against it anymore. Does this mean I run wild? Of course not. I can't run around pounding the crap out of people in the name of Jesus. It means that I don't have to be ashamed of following Christ, that I can and should fight for Him. If others don't like you because of it, who cares? They are not your ultimate judge. God gave us His son because He loved us so much. I don't think it's too much to ask that I fight for him in return.