61,000 Donkeys

I had a conversation with a student about the Elderidge Book Wild at heart. (In case you don’t get it from the post I’m not a fan).

We were discussing the various flaws and thoughts of the book. However this one struck me. We talking about how we should model our Masculinity and deal with it. One of the points of the book is that men are “wild at heart”; they are created in a way that they seek battle/action etc. When discussing whether it is right or not for you to teach a child to fight back against a bully it came up that this is explained because God made man aggressive. Hmmmm that didn’t sit right. (how does that fit with turn the other cheek). The books says “aggression is part of the masculine deign, we are hardwired for it”. His point being boys will play with guns and battle etc; this is how God made us. I am a little scared that it will breed a generation of men who use the excuse “that’s how God made me”.

Thinking on this for a while I came up with this, God did not create us aggressive God created us powerful. Man has within him power with potential to be used in many ways. Aggression is the result of the fall where men abuse their power.

So manliness and strength, how are they shown? How can we demonstrate our strength?
Some questions- who is stronger?

The man who can walk away from a fight secure in his identity and validity being found in Christ or the one who goes in fists flying

The man who can forgive a murderer or the one who goes and takes his revenge

The man who hits is wife to assert his authority or the man who takes time to build up his wife’s confidence in his ability to lead

The man who does, no matter what, or the man who does not for the sake of others.

God made men powerful, and potentially dangerous, the fall made us abuse that power, as a result men are aggressive. Jesus, look at him, he had the full power of God in him, the ability to command nature, heal the incurable, power of life and death, the power that created the world by a word, the power that by a word will one day end it. Jesus was potentially the most dangerous man to ever walk the earth. YET he willingly served others, he willingly took abuse and scorn; he willing sacrificed his power in the service of others.

A true measure of a man is not his ability to exercise power, but his ability to sacrifice it!

posted by Jonny:) @ 2:26 PM