Wednesday was full of wilderness, swamps, alligators, and
manly activities. This week our project day was just devoted to Men's and
Women's time, so we headed out to a state park and camping area to have our
men's time learning about what it takes to be a MAN!
For men (especially me), competition can really bring to the
surface exactly what is in our heart at that time, so whether or not the staff
put us in these situations completely purposefully, it was something that I
really noticed in myself and hit me hard. While we were competing during men's
time, I was getting frustrated a little bit, and it was more with my attitude
than anything, but I'm sure that it came out towards others. I've been a little
frustrated with some things that were just really bothering me, and I had been
trying to work through them, but this realization was probably the biggest help
for me to go along with my desire to have the attitude of Christ in all things.
Now to actually talk about what the staff had more intended
for us to learn from our men's time...
We have been covering what it means to really be a man and a
man of God with the acronym RACE. We have been covering a different letter each
week and we finished up since the staff will be leaving us soon.
R- Reject Passivity
A- Accept Responsibility
C- Courageously Lead
E- Expect God's Greater Rewards
Each one of these areas in our lives really impacts the way
we treat our friends, family, loved ones, coworkers, and everyone we meet. Fact
of life: men are different than women! ...Oh, good one there Andrew! Thank you
for pointing that one out for me... But really, this is important to recognize,
that there are roles that each one needs to fill and step up to the task
because we were designed this way. Men today have in a lot of ways gotten away
from what we were designed to do. Being a man is definitely not about age,
physical abilities, a deep voice, or chest hair... It is easy for a guy to just
sit back, be lazy, and just do what he wants. Rejecting Passivity is the first
part to what we need to do to become a man. A man's role is to be a leader for
others, and being passive towards what needs to be done is definitely a no-no.
This kind of ties in with the next part of Accepting Responsibility. In life
there are responsibilities that will need to be fulfilled and we as men need to
step up to the challenge set before us. What man doesn't like a good challenge?
I would say that a real man, one following after God, should always be up to
battle the challenges of life set before us. As a man, I want challenges,
adventures, battles, and struggles. I've got some other news: the Christian
life doesn't have to be, and shouldn't be boring! It should be filled with fun,
adventure, facing fears, trusting God, and leading through the unknown. We as
men were also designed to Courageously Lead. Now this does not mean that there
should be a dictatorship or lording over others, but as a servant willing to
help others and follow our commander, Christ! Christ's love for us is great and
all, but for men, we want someone great who we can follow after. This is
something that gets overlooked by many people in the church today, and I agree with
the staff on project, that in some ways this alienates men. It is all about
Jesus' love for us, but that does not have as great of an appeal as a great
commander who leads by sacrifice and serving to do what is best for us.
1 Timothy 1:12 "For this reason I also suffer these
things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am
convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that
day."
Now since we know that we were designed as men to do these
things, what's next? Well, Expecting God's Greater Rewards, of course! If we
come to realize that in all things that we do, when we are living for things
with eternal significance, the rewards are greater. God will bless us far
beyond what we can ever obtain here on earth, and that in itself should be
motivation to live for God. We all strive and seek for others approval, so why
not seek for the one who approval really matters? Live for Christ, not out of
obligation of some religious activities, but because you love God and want to
follow Him as your leader, and expect Him to reward you for following him well!
These are just a summary of what we learned, my thoughts on it, and what I hope
that I can follow through with in my own life, living to be a real man of God.
During our men's time day, we complete athletically in
different races throughout our day, and then compared the similarities to these
races and how we are to live the race of life seeking after God. We were
challenged in areas that most men have struggles in and were told flat out how
it affects you: spiritually, psychologically, and literal changing in our
brains. Great instruction and accountability passed down from men seeking after
God, to us college guys seeking to become men of God. We of course had food,
because it cannot be a men's time if there is no food, and we really challenged
to make sure that we understood what it looks like to be a man of God and if we
wanted to commit to being a man. I am extremely grateful to all the staff men
for the challenges that they have given us and the instruction, so that we can
go hard after God.
2 Timothy 4:6-8
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering,
and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me
on that day —and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his
appearing.”
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