Play the man?
Where did such a strange quote originate? How does a man play? If you think this statement sounds like it was spoken under tremendous stress I would guess you are probably right. Here is the story behind the quote as told by Stu Weber in his book, Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart:
"Imbedded in the countless dark cobblestones of Broad Street in Oxford, England, is a memorial to God and the lives of two men. Twenty-four lightly colored stones form a simple cross on this thoroughfare of the western world’s most prestigious university city.
On a crisp October day in 1555, two men walked out the doors of dreary Bocardo Prison. The morning sunlight was like a thousand October mornings before. This day, however, was a day destined to stand out among the thousands. These two men, refusing to recant their personal faith in Jesus Christ, would die a terrible death that morning. They would be burned at the stake.
What crossed their minds, that fine autumn day, as they lived out their last moments on earth? We can’t know all their thoughts, yet we have more than a few stones in the pavement to mark their passing.
We have a few of their words as well.
We know that as they approached the stake, Hugh Lattimer turned to Nicholas Ridley and said, “Be of good cheer, Ridley. Play the man! We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace … as I trust shall never be put out.’”
In its context I think the meaning of this quote is fairly obvious. It is the final call from one man to another to stand up, speak up, and ultimately suck it up. It is a call to courageously follow Christ all the way to the sizzle of flesh against flames. In those burn-at-the-stake moments when a man is under unbearable pressure it is easy (I can only imagine) to cry in fear and anguish. Or worse yet, beg for mercy though knowing none is available.
Maybe it was in those final moments that these men found courage in the words of their Savior calling out from Isaiah 43:2-3, “I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;”
If a man chooses to “Play the man” to the end of life, then what does a boy do? Boys and men are worlds apart and chronological age has nothing to do with the defining of a man. Manhood is more than the compilation of years. I am sickened by the stories I hear of adult boys who do unspeakable damage to their women and children in the name of “Me time”. I know one woman who claimed that in all of her 50 years of life she has never met a respectable Christian man! Although I think this viewpoint is scarred based on her limited, albeit very painful, experiences with men, this comment stopped me in my tracks.
The godly man is in a constant battle against the temptation to be inwardly passive, morally irresponsible, spiritually indecisive, and personally indifferent. This morning I spoke to a young man struggling against his boyhood tendencies to “feel good” when I remembered a statement by John Maxwell who once said, “Winners do it first and feel good about it later. Losers want to feel good before they do it.” Or, we can throw an audible in by restating that, “Men do it first and feel good about it later. Boys want to feel good before they do it.” Regarding personal finances but also applying to men Dave Ramsey , "Children do what feels good. (Men) make a plan and follow it."
A boy or a man; which are you? What is your greatest temptation towards boyhood?
