The 13toMan seminar uses the 4 principles of manhood as stated in Robert Lewis' book Raising A Modern Day Knight. I strongly recommend this book to any father of a son. The second part of our definition of a man is - a real man accepts responsibility.
I stood in the hall of the hospital in Des Moines alone. We had moved there just a few months earlier so we didn’t have many close relationships. Family was on the way from Texas. My wife had just given birth to our first child. After they checked my daughter out and bathed her she slept in the hospital nursery. My wife was resting also. I was completely alone. I realized in those few minutes that I was responsible for my little girl. I had no one to ask what to do next. I clearly remember the feeling of parental responsibility for the first time.
Being a man means that we accept the responsibility that God has given us. In John 4, Jesus' disciples are concerned about Him and try to get Him to eat. His response accepts the responsibility of a man. "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and accomplish His work."
Quoting Lewis "... the wise father will train his son to embrace these with enthusiasm: a will to obey (God's will as revealed in the scriptures), a work to do (not just the work of his job, but also the work in his home, church, and community), and a woman to love (his wife)."
We all know the guy at work that never accepts responsibility when things go wrong. Men in our culture (and most others too I would imagine) blame everyone else but themselves for the ills around us. Obviously we live in a broken, fallen world. It is much easier for our boys to learn to become men that accept responsibility from us than any other way.
DC Talks' song In The Light phrases it well.
I am the king of excuses
I've got one for every selfish thing I do
What's going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That I'm still a man in need of a savior
Dads, what ways are you using to teach your boys to accept responsibility? Are you doing a good job of modeling it?
2 comments:
Was this Hailey?
I remember taking Rebekah home. At some point, all the excitement kind of stopped. Laura and I were totally responsible for everything that happens to this beautiful gift from God; and we're clueless!!!
Somehow, she survived.
Yep, that was Haley. Things were a whirlwind after those first lonely minutes but I distinctly remember the words sounding through my brain "Now what do I do?"
Almost 20 years later all of them are alive - and hopefully poised to make their impact on the world. Brings to mind that "with God all things are possible."
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