Has anyone ever heard someone say, "Inside every man there's a little boy trying to escape"? I agree with this statement...sort of. Or I should say, I understand what makes people say this.
What makes them say this is when an adult man finds himself doing or wanting to do reckless/crazy things. Perhaps this is said when he goes or wants to go skydiving (something that I have secretly wanted to do...although I guess it's not a secret anymore), swimming with sharks (something I don't want to do), or running a marathon (something I do want to do someday). Perhaps it could be said when a grown man LOVES to watch superhero movies (something I do like to do), or plays way too many video games where he does violent things (something I do not like to do).
There is something inside a grown man that makes him long for danger...I know this sounds crazy, but it's true. I still will often find myself fantasizing that I'm a superhero saving the day. We say that this is childlike, but is it really? Is it wrong for a grown man to feel this way? I would submit to you that it is not wrong for a man to feel this way, but it can be expressed in an incorrect manner. Allow me to explain...
As we see in the Scriptures, God made man to be the leader. To courageously fight for what is right, to lead his family and to not be afraid to take risks in the process.
The sad thing, however, is that too often this desire is squashed by unfulfilled expectations. I could go into details about why this often happens, but there are too many to name. But lets just say something happens that makes him feel like he can't, or shouldn't give in to these urges to lead, these urges to be the courageous man God has created him to be. So fear overtakes him and the man/young man/boy pushes those feelings away...but as much as he tries to quiet them, he can't...they're who he is. So these desires manifest themselves in doing completely ridiculous things (pulling awful pranks on his friends, or giving into dares from his friends to do VERY dangerous things), illegal things, or in playing too many video games (the video games allow them to vicariously do the things they've always wanted to do).
These lists I have made are by no means comprehensive, they're just some areas where I've seen this problem manifested.
So, what should we as men do to combat this problem? Well, some of us may need serious counseling by Godly Christian men to work through the struggles in our lives that have caused us to be crippled by this fear of leading. As we work through these things, God will help us to learn how to lead. This is something God has been working on in my life over the last few years.
So, my fellow men...let us, by God's grace, seek to be the men God created us to be. To be the leaders God created us to be. To not be afraid to take risks, to stand up for the truth.
Now, before I close this...I feel the need to clarify something...is it wrong for men/boys to enjoy video games and superhero movies? No, I don't think so. But if a man is allowing it to become his "substitute leadership" (as in, he's living vicariously through the characters), and not truly leading in real life...then there's a problem.
Okay, that is all. Often times I feel like my blog posts are a bunch of random thoughts strung together...so I hope that all made sense.
What makes them say this is when an adult man finds himself doing or wanting to do reckless/crazy things. Perhaps this is said when he goes or wants to go skydiving (something that I have secretly wanted to do...although I guess it's not a secret anymore), swimming with sharks (something I don't want to do), or running a marathon (something I do want to do someday). Perhaps it could be said when a grown man LOVES to watch superhero movies (something I do like to do), or plays way too many video games where he does violent things (something I do not like to do).
There is something inside a grown man that makes him long for danger...I know this sounds crazy, but it's true. I still will often find myself fantasizing that I'm a superhero saving the day. We say that this is childlike, but is it really? Is it wrong for a grown man to feel this way? I would submit to you that it is not wrong for a man to feel this way, but it can be expressed in an incorrect manner. Allow me to explain...
As we see in the Scriptures, God made man to be the leader. To courageously fight for what is right, to lead his family and to not be afraid to take risks in the process.
The sad thing, however, is that too often this desire is squashed by unfulfilled expectations. I could go into details about why this often happens, but there are too many to name. But lets just say something happens that makes him feel like he can't, or shouldn't give in to these urges to lead, these urges to be the courageous man God has created him to be. So fear overtakes him and the man/young man/boy pushes those feelings away...but as much as he tries to quiet them, he can't...they're who he is. So these desires manifest themselves in doing completely ridiculous things (pulling awful pranks on his friends, or giving into dares from his friends to do VERY dangerous things), illegal things, or in playing too many video games (the video games allow them to vicariously do the things they've always wanted to do).
These lists I have made are by no means comprehensive, they're just some areas where I've seen this problem manifested.
So, what should we as men do to combat this problem? Well, some of us may need serious counseling by Godly Christian men to work through the struggles in our lives that have caused us to be crippled by this fear of leading. As we work through these things, God will help us to learn how to lead. This is something God has been working on in my life over the last few years.
So, my fellow men...let us, by God's grace, seek to be the men God created us to be. To be the leaders God created us to be. To not be afraid to take risks, to stand up for the truth.
Now, before I close this...I feel the need to clarify something...is it wrong for men/boys to enjoy video games and superhero movies? No, I don't think so. But if a man is allowing it to become his "substitute leadership" (as in, he's living vicariously through the characters), and not truly leading in real life...then there's a problem.
Okay, that is all. Often times I feel like my blog posts are a bunch of random thoughts strung together...so I hope that all made sense.
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