by Brian Lowe
In a previous post, we asked the question, “what would it look like for men to walk in humble repentance before God and toward those they were entrusted to lead?” This kind of leadership is needed in every sphere, but most definitely in our churches and families.
This post will seek to spell some of these things out more thoroughly…
What if men got off our thrones of entitlement and assumed privilege and became humble servants?
As men who are tainted by sin, we live with a deep-seated sense of entitlement and privilege. Our culture plays toward this inward reality with outward encouragement and pressure that feeds it like water on weeds. Add to this that we get humility totally wrong, and we are set up for disaster. I want to be a man—and a part of a group of men—who resist the urge toward entitlement and embrace a proper humility, not where I think less of myself, but where I think of myself less and of others more.
What if men understood masculinity not as being weak and passive or strong and aggressive…but as a call to be a strong, gentle, servant leader who takes primary responsibility to lead, protect, and provide for those entrusted to him?
In our culture, men are either bullies who beat up everyone they meet or they are wet noodles with no backbone, conviction or ability. Examples of strong, gentle men in our cultural stories are lacking. Men who take responsibility for their actions. Men who lead and protect. I want to be a man like this…a man who is tough and tender, able to love and lead people.
What if men could cast a vision for spiritual direction that was large enough to follow?
When I talk with men about vision for the spiritual direction of those we are entrusted to lead, I usually get blank stares. I want to be a man—and part of a group of men—who are able to articulate and move toward a vision for the spiritual direction of those we are entrusted to lead. And I want to dream big dreams for them. I want to believe that my children will walk with Jesus in such a way that their lives will bring glory to God. I want to believe that the church entrusted to me might be filled with men and women who are playing their parts well so that the name of Jesus might be known and marveled at. So, we need men who can cast vision for spiritual direction that’s big enough for others to give their lives to follow.
What if men led that spiritual direction by example so that those who follow found a bold courage in God’s kindness that would prompt radical risk taking for the glory of God?
I want to be a man—and part of a group of men—who live lives that others see Jesus in. I want people to see what God does in my life and believe that if God can do that in me, He can do it in them. I want to be around men whose fire for Jesus sets hearts ablaze with courage and confidence in Him.
What if men believed the gospel so much that failure would no longer be frightening?
I see men often who are so scared they will fail that they don’t attempt anything. What if we believed the gospel and were so grounded in it that we were no longer afraid of failure? I want to be a man—and part of a group of men—who know our identity in Jesus so deeply that we go for whatever God calls us to do.
I want to be a man—and part of a group of men—who reflect these things. And I think you do too. The next post will talk about where we go from here.
