•Saturday, June 06, 2009
“O my son… do not waste your strength on women… speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice” Proverbs 31: 2, 3 and 9.
Why do you never hear how to be a Proverbs 31 man? King Lemuel’s wisdom is given first to men, then to women. But he goes about it in two very different ways because while men and women are both made in the image of God, but both exhibit different trends.
While women are naturally relational, men are prone to focus on career advancement and broad issues, and to internalize their emotions rather than share them. And while women yearn for romance, men think more about the physical relationship. Both make the success of life possible. You take care of finding solutions to the combustible fuel problem and I’ll take care of making dinner. (I didn’t say it would be good).
King Lemuel advised men to curb their natural instincts and focus their God-given strength on making a positive impact on the world around them. What makes a man appealing? It isn’t his muscles or money that matter most. It’s his strength of character.
Is he strong enough to be gentle? Is he strong enough to be kind and generous? Is he strong enough to be faithful, to his God and his family? Is he strong enough to control his darker side? And, is he strong enough to be honest and humble?
I guess there are guys like that out there. I mean, I guess so…
Why do you never hear how to be a Proverbs 31 man? King Lemuel’s wisdom is given first to men, then to women. But he goes about it in two very different ways because while men and women are both made in the image of God, but both exhibit different trends.
While women are naturally relational, men are prone to focus on career advancement and broad issues, and to internalize their emotions rather than share them. And while women yearn for romance, men think more about the physical relationship. Both make the success of life possible. You take care of finding solutions to the combustible fuel problem and I’ll take care of making dinner. (I didn’t say it would be good).
King Lemuel advised men to curb their natural instincts and focus their God-given strength on making a positive impact on the world around them. What makes a man appealing? It isn’t his muscles or money that matter most. It’s his strength of character.
Is he strong enough to be gentle? Is he strong enough to be kind and generous? Is he strong enough to be faithful, to his God and his family? Is he strong enough to control his darker side? And, is he strong enough to be honest and humble?
I guess there are guys like that out there. I mean, I guess so…
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2 comments:
A man"s man is easy to find, but a Godly man is hard to find.
My grandmother was a straight shooter and quite brutal. As far as what makes a man a man she would say..."Just because a man has a thing dangling between his legs doesn't make him a man." It takes more then your physical make-up to you a man or a woman. It takes strength of character and an understanding that we should treat ourselves with dignity. After all we are a creation of God. Therefore, why should we mistreat ourselves? We become a broken vessel when we forget God created us. Would He create something that is undignified and ugly? The answer is no. It is only when we start treating ourselves, our bodies, and our souls with dignity and respect that we become a true woman, a true man.