5. Men Are Self-Sufficient
My world taught me that men are independent and don’t need encouragement from their wives or other men. But it’s so untrue. To need or want love or support from a spouse or friend is not a bad thing.
God’s love is brought to full expression when we receive his love and can fully express that love to others in our lives, and that includes other men.
However, men have been taught to be afraid to be transparent, real and/or affectionate with other men because of the social, cultural and even “Christian” restrictions on men seeking community.
We can’t do it on our own and we were never meant to.
6. Men Are Slobs
If I had the money, I would have a closet full of shoes and a drawer full of Happy Socks! Fortunately, young men are becoming more comfortable with sporting their own style.
Being tidy or well-groomed is not a gender trait. Some of us—many of us—do care about how we look.
When it comes to style and appearance, men and boys are struggling more and more with self-image issues. Magazines and other media display so many “perfect” male specimens that many of us have begun to second-guess our worth.
The Bible is filled with men of both strength and beauty.
We must reach out to our young men and make sure they find their identity in Christ and not in standards set by tabloid images.
We have been taught that there is only one way to be masculine. We’ve been taught that straying from the “norm” means it’s time to “man up,” hide the tears and move forward.
Where do these myths leave us?
I believe we live in a world of heartbroken boys, confused adolescent males and bitter angry men.
I used to keep it all inside—my questions, confusion, pain, struggles and fears. That time is over.
We must share our stories, admit our shortcomings and seek the transforming answers that will eventually bring hope and health to a generation of hurting young men. The church needs us to assess what constitutes true biblical masculinity. Our children need us to evaluate these ideas carefully.
We cannot and must not ignore the statistics that are piling up like lifeless corpses in a land of learned machismo. We must move beyond the myths.
They told me I wasn’t manly. I say I am.
