My husband is a runner and has been for 25+ years. I am not. I’ve been known to walk great distances, but running is not my thing.
Several years ago, my husband expressed an interest in participating in a marathon. He had done several half-marathons, so I didn’t give much thought to his running a full. What I did not know at the time I flippantly agreed, was how much training was involved.
With two young children and a house full of chores, the last thing (I thought) I could endure, was his being frequently gone after work and on weekends. The truth of the matter was that I was lonely and needed adult interaction after hours managing Kidville. He’d come home from work, and get a run in before dinner. He’d do his long run on Saturday or Sunday, the days I had counted on to have his company.
Though I had agreed to his participation, my actions and attitudes sabotaged his training regimen and our mutual frustration finally came to a head. He vocalized how important this was to him. He needed my support. He needed me to be his cheerleader. Instead, I was self-absorbed and far too busy feeling sorry for myself. He was right. Thankfully, he loved me through my selfishness and the Lord helped me change my attitude. Ultimately, I was able to stand at the finish line, beaming with pride at what he had accomplished.
In the more recent past, my radio co-host Dan Rosecrans and I were conducting an interview with a man who had set out on a hike, gotten hopelessly lost, nearly died, found help, and then wrote a book about it. As the author was recounting his story, my “sensible” woman brain was thinking: “Gee, how dumb. Glad I’m not his wife!”
I then glance over at Dan, and watch a look wash over his face. It was a very different look from what I’m sure was plastered all over my own. He kind of went “dreamy” and was totally engrossed in this man’s tale. After the interview, he made a comment to the effect of “Man, I wish I could do something like that”.
This was my “ah-ha” moment. Men need adventure. They are wired for it. They need to push themselves, strain themselves and maybe even get lost in the mountains. God wired them for exploration and dreaming big dreams. They need to play “King of the Mountain” both on the playground and in the world–not to shove others down or away, but to know that sense of accomplishment.
Both genders need to understand this. Men need to responsibly act on this gift that they have been given. When men go and do, dream and build, fantastic things can be accomplished, not just for him personally, but for society at large. Women need to support and spur on their men. This is not to suggest that women can’t have adventures and grand plans of their own, but ladies will benefit when we assist, and champion our guys.
For some additional thoughts about what a Godly man’s man looks like, here’s a link to a great blog from Watermark Community Church: https://www.watermark.org/blog/how-to-be-a-godly-man/
