because I'm only about 20 pages into it. A review would require finishing it. But I can't help sharing these words from Eric Metaxas' new book Seven Men: And the Secret of their Greatness:
(not shared in the order they were written.)
Strength is denigrated because it can be used for ill. So we live in a culture where strength is feared and where there is a sense that - to protect the weak - strength itself must be weakened. When this happens, the heroic and true nature of strength is much forgotten. It leads to a world of men who aren't really men. Instead they are just two kinds of boys: boasting, loud-mouthed bullies or soft, emasculated pseudo-men. Women feel that they must be "empowered" and must never rely on men for strength. It's a lot like a socialistic idea, where "power" and "strength" are redistributed - taken away from men and given to women, to even things out. Of course, it doesn't work that way. Everyone loses.
But God's idea of making men strong was so that they would use that strength to protect women and children and anyone else. There's something heroic in that. Male strength is a gift from God, and like all gifts from God, it's always and everywhere meant to be used to bless others. In Genesis 12:1-3, God tells Abraham that he will bless him so that Abraham can bless others. All blessings and every gift - and strength is a gift - are God's gifts, to be used for his purposes, which means to bless others. So men are meant to use their strength to protect and bless those who are weaker. That can mean other men who need help or it can mean women and children. True strength is always strength given over to God's purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment