Steadfast, Strong, Manly Men

Last Friday was an enjoyable day for me. I got to have lunch with a former college roommate and then dinner/movie with a couple of my girlfriends. Of course, the subject of men came up (hello, it's women sitting around talking...men are bound to be a topic somewhere in the convo!) with the usual conclusion ~ we don't understand how they think or why they do some of the things they do. Now, before any of my beloved male friends stop reading... I would bet many of you feel the same way about women... you just don't get us either. The evening culminated in watching yet another Hollywood take on good boy gone bad only to be brought back to good boy with some Dickenese characters thrown in to help him see the error of his ways. Ugh. I am so tired of those kinds of movies. The main character is a schmuck and after his supposed redemption, he becomes a lovable, sweet guy. I'd love to see the 'real-life' sequel of what happens after the 'happily ever after' wears off. Bet my paycheck the dude is still a schmuck and she's a cranky nag because he isn't living up to what she thinks he should be!

This whole thing got me to thinking about and praying for the men who are currently in my life and the one I've yet to meet. Do I put them in a 'Hollywood' type box and expect them to be like those in the movies? Do I want them to be the manly man, knight in shining armour all the while expecting them to think like a woman? Do I emasculate them with my penchant for wanting control? Do I expect them to be more than God does? Does my attitude/actions reflect respect for who they are right where God has them? While I want to be 'wowed' by Mr. Right, what does that look like in reality? As God often does, He gave me a nugget in my reading this morning that I've been chewing on. In I Cor. 16:13 it says, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong." I'll be honest... I was perplexed by this verse the first few times I read it. What the heck does 'quit like men' mean? So, I researched it a bit and found it means to act manly. Paul had been dealing with the church at Corinth and the many questions they had for him. Apparently, from previous verses, the roles of men and women in the Christian walk were questioned by those early believers. After 15 chapters of response, Paul was wrapping up his letter to them. And almost in the middle of this last chapter with no warning, he tells them to stand fast in their faith, be manly, to be strong and to do all with love (vs. 14). The light bulb went off for me. Isn't that really all we should want from the men in our lives? Stand fast in their faith, be a strong man and do all with love? Why do we let the world tell us that men need to be anything other than what God expects? Now, I'm all about people taking personal responsibility for their choices and lives, and guys, if you are anything less than God wants, that's on you. But now I'm talking to the ladies... we must do our very best to promote what God says a man should be like ~ not our own personal agenda or Hollywood's view. I see so many women trying to 'fix' the men in their lives to be something that God never intended him to be...and yours truly has been guilty of that as well. Gals, would you want him constantly trying to change who you are or do you want him relying on God to shape and mold you into the woman God wants you to be? Frankly, I know this will be seen as highly unpopular, 'old school' thinking... but I agree with God, not the world. I am praying that the men in my life are standing fast in their faith, are strong, manly men and do all with love and that God shows me how to live my life in a way that allows them be all HE desires them to be.