Tonight, on the way home from Ma Dubs, we sat at a stop light and I saw across the street, about one hundred yards away, a couple having an argument. The woman seemed to be trying to walk away, but the man continued to get in front of her, holding her captive, bumping her and harassing her. Disgust rose up in my heart, and I couldn't help but act. When the light turned green, I cut across three lanes and I'm sure ticked off a few people, drove over near the couple and rolled down the window. I hollered out the window to ask if the woman was ok, the man, as all abusers do, answered for her. What a tough guy! He then proceeded to threaten the woman I'm sure and they began to walk back from whence they came. I asked if she would like me to call the police and he again, answered me belligerently. I wanted with my whole being to get out of the car, to grab him by the throat, pin him to the ground and show him what a tough guy is.
America right now is lost. Families are weak, mostly because men are weak. Boys have no idea how to become men, so they follow the brokenness that has been shown to them. This is mostly because no viable alternatives are visible. Boys think that manhood lies in power, either physical, emotional, financial etc. If a boy can attack and destroy and oppress, then he is man. So broken boys oppress women, children, the poor, the immigrant, the people on the fringe. They attack people of different political parties, different ethnicities, different sexuality, different sports teams. They destroy their marriages and the dreams of their children, because to nurture and serve feels like weakness. Never having felt the Father's true love, they are too afraid of the vulnerability required to love and be loved. So they destroy. This is not the way of men. The Father is the Creator, destroying only to build again, build stronger, build higher.
In a lot of ways, America is a country built by men, but not in the way that you might think. Throughout history, many wealthy, talented and extremely powerful men have paid for and sponsored many grand things, but rarely have they built on their own. Railroads that crossed the country and carried "civilization" West were built by immigrants and the poor. The Southern plantations were built by slaves. Big business on Wall Street built on the pocketbooks of the everyday person, struggling to get by while the "men" at the top line their pockets. This is not the Kingdom. This is not your heritage. Let this not be your legacy on the earth.
Deut 10:17-19
For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.
Psalm 10:16-18
16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.
Ps 82:3-4
3 Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Proverbs 31:8-9
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
A man is one so secure in the Father's love, so convinced that his every need is considered and provided for, that he is able to look beyond himself. Right now you are selfish. Sweet, but selfish. Your every whim is the center of your universe and in your eyes ought to be the center of everyone else's as well. And that's ok, because you are two. And that will still be ok as you grow and mature. But at some point, you will move from boyhood to manhood. You will be accepted into the company of men. Hopefully into the company of Christian men. And you will learn that a strong man is one who can prefer others, who can serve others. He is not one who sits idly by while others suffer, he acts. A man is one who comforts the weary and broken. He fights for those who cannot fight for themselves. He dies to himself so that others might live. He does this because he is not afraid of being forgotten or forsaken. He can look beyond the present and defer his own gratification for the well being of others.
I want you to know that the worm chest bumping a lady because he feels embarrassed or scared or sad but can only express it as anger is no tough guy. I had to defer my want to be the protector of some poor, oppressed woman tonight because I will always pick my family over others.But I will always remember this afternoon as a picture of my role as a man. I don't know that I did any good. Maybe I actually did more harm. But if for one second, this random, scared, abused woman saw that she is worth respect and care. That she doesn't have to be treated like collateral damage for some boy's insecurity and brokenness, then I'm ok with it.
Christ showed the fiercest strength of all time when he said to his Father "if there's any other way....nevertheless, not my will but yours be done". My hope for you son is that you will stand, that you will serve, that you will defer, that you will speak up, that you will rescue, and encourage and listen. That you will know when to speak and when to be silent. That you will rise up when you ought and bend your knee when you must. I hope that you will defend the fatherless and the oppressed, not for any gain, but because you are so convinced that you are loved. I hope this because when we know that we are loved, we can truly walk as God's sons. Because " the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God (Rom 8:19).
The world needs tough guys, tough guys like you.
You are eternally and extravagantly loved my son. Walk in the strength of that love today and always.
Dad
No comments:
Post a Comment