7. The Lover
A real man has to be a lover. A lover of life, a lover of his children, a lover of his wife, and most of all a lover of his God. As the lover a real man isn't afraid of tender things and doesn't shy away from romance.
In today's society, the enemy has so distorted and warped the perception of love, that many men have forgotten what it truly means to love. Pride keeps them from trying. Lust and greed capture their attention and steal it away. As a result, young people never learn and understand what true love is.
We as men sometimes think it unmanly to delight in the love of tender things or show tender emotion. The idea of the hopless romantic has all but become a thing of the past. I used to be a hopeless romantic. I thought often of being in love and tried to imagine what it would be like. I found out love wasn't all I thought or imagined. It's not the butterflies in the stomach or the oogly googlies. It's commitment and sacrifice. It's doing when you don't want to. It's giving and getting at the same time.
The lover has to for love's sake ignore society to be the real man his wife and children need. It's not abnormal to love one woman and it's not weak to show it. I made my wife a mix cd. Back in a day it would have been a mix tape. I gave it to her for Valentines day one year. I titled the cd " A Little Bit of Me ". It was songs that through the music and lyrics said and showed things I wanted to say. She smiles and gets the oogly googlies whenever I play it.
Being a good parent is showing your children strength in love, with love, through love. Sometimes it's hard to correct your child when they are very young, because when they cry you feel bad. When our oldes child who is three dis-obeys, we spank, then we help her understand why she got a spanking and last we hug and kiss and say I love you. She will hopefully understand correction is not because we hate her but because we love her and not despise it and us.
Have you noticed that lots of things revolve around love. I love this or I love that. Doing what you love. Loving someone. Being loved by someone. Love by far is not an outdated concept. Love was created and put in motion by love Himself. Love gave love as a sacrifice for love. Tina Turner once asked " What's Love Got To Do With It ? ". Everything Tina, everything.
In Christ, Kevin
This was an excellent series. Youngsters like me need a glimpse of the kind of men they are going to have to become. The kind of men that God would have them me. Looking at your seven criteria, I realize it will be difficult, but I can be that man. With God molding me like He will and those around me lending their example and aid, I can be that man. Good articles sir.
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