Entry: April 10, 2007
McMinnville, OR
In third grade I bloodied Jeff’s lip over a kickball argument when I pushed him so hard that his hand actually went into his face and opened up his lip. I will never forget the fear of sitting in the Principal’s Office or the disappointed look on Mr. Hiatt’s face as he explained to why fighting was not a good response to conflict. Kenny was spared his own blood in a fifth grade, four-square conflict as I got him in an instant headlock and told him I would hurt him if he wanted to fight, which of course he instantly decided that he did not!
I don’t like fighting. I never have. It always seemed like such an archaic and immature response to conflict. Plus, I loathed having to apologize to upset parents! Growing up the kids that seemed to fight a lot were usually in trouble with authority and I learned very early on that it took more courage, honor, and intelligence to negotiate than to instigate.
Fighting, however, is a major part of the human experience. We fight for our families, we fight for our values, we fight for our country, and we fight for our God. We fight for the things we love. We fight for the weak, despised, and unfortunate people that are rejected or seen by someone else as somehow lesser in value.
I believe that God has placed the heart of a fighter inside of every man. The fighter’s spirit is not a result of the fall of man but the heart of God, who has never stopped fighting for the souls of those he loves (Romans 5:8). God has designed a man to be the protector of his family and the defender of those around him.
Listen to the words of Jesus’ half brother James, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).
It is a high calling to be a man.
It is a calling that many males have surrendered to the lifelong decision to remain a boy. Or worse they have surrendered taking a swing at manhood opting instead for the selfish and passive life. I have met far too many 40 year old boys in my lifetime and not enough men. On occasion I see that boy in the mirror!
Men are born fighters.
God has instilled this within a man yet society has curtailed it through countless media messages that emasculate the male spirit and degrade men. No more. It is time to reclaim what culture has cut off and fight for a biblical definition of what it means to be a man: “To accept responsibility, reject passivity, pursue God passionately, lead courageously and finish strong.” I do not believe I epitomize this definition, but I am a man searching, like so many, to understand what manhood means in my life and the lives of my three sons. My hope is this study will unleash the gates of heaven in a man’s heart to become the ultimate fighter that God has challenged his heart to desire. Say goodbye to boyhood and your childish ways. It is time to become a man. It is time to unleash the fighter within you through Jesus Christ-the ultimate model of manhood.
