I just finished speaking to the football team at Trinity College about manhood, and I thought I would write down a few of my thoughts before I jumped into all of the school work I need to do today.
I shared with the men that they could become the Godly men that they've never met, the father's they have never had, the husbands they've never seen, and the leaders that our people need.
But how do you become a man if you've never really known one personally? How can you be a good father if you have never seen one, or a good husband if you have never met one? These are questions that I have asked myself over the years, and I believe are questions that many of the young men in the room have been asking.
Rather than trying to get deep with them, I decided to speak from my experience, about my journey, from boyhood to manhood, and about how manhood involves making certain decisions EVERY DAY.
Manhood involves making the decision daily to be a provider for your family, and to work hard to put food on the table, clothes on their backs, and keep a roof over their heads.
It involves making the decision daily to be a protector of your family and of those who cannot defend themselves.
It involves making the decision daily to be a "priest" who prays for your family, friends, and others, asking God meet them at their point of need, and for God to be to them what you, and I, cannot be.
It involves making the decision daily to be a "prophet" who speaks truth in a loving way to others, especially your family and friends.
It involves making the decision daily that you will love your wife and family, through thick and thin.
Being a man is not easy. In fact, there have been times in my own journey when I thought about walking away, because of the difficulty of juggling all of the pressures that come with my various roles and responsibilities. There have been times when my demons almost destroyed me and my family...
But I made a decision. I made a commitment, a covenant before my God and my loved ones, to love my wife and to make sure my children never, ever have to feel the "daddy-void" that I've had in my heart for most of my life.
I made a decision that, to be quite frank with you, sometimes hurts. But I keep showing up.
So, to all my brothers in the world out there who know a little bit about what I'm talking about, I want to encourage you to KEEP SHOWING UP! I know it's hard, I know you are misunderstood, I know sometimes you feel unappreciated, and I know about the demons. I really do. BUT KEEP SHOWING UP! You can make it through this, but you have to KEEP SHOWING UP!
Our women, our children, our families, and our communities NEED you. Keep showing up, so we can make being a man, and a man of God, mean something again.
Peace
