The Shepherd's Heart/What is a real man?

The truth is, it seems our society assesses a man based on certain criteria.

Is he muscular -- does he have the perfect body? Is he ready to fight -- is he a war monger? Is that man a sports freak -- and if so, does that mean he has no brains? Is he "like most men" and insensitive to the needs of others? He is emotionless?

Our society tends to set certain boundaries for men. Men are not allowed to cry. Men are not supposed to hug or put an arm around another male. True sympathy from a male is unexpected and sometimes unacceptable. And empathy must be used for analytical purposes only, not for trying to understand someone else's pain.

Men seem to have been brought up with certain fears. These may or may not have been learned from society. They may be a product of his upbringing.

There's the fear of openness -- fear that others may discover I am not a tough guy. And what about the fear of triviality -- feeling threatened by deeds which we believe are below our masculinity.

Some men have a fear of plateau living and become so obsessed with work that they neglect their families and/or spiritual fellowship. They are dissatisfied with where God has placed them. They believe that somehow they must progress to a place where they believe they will be content.

To become the men God wants us to be, we should take the advice of the writer of Proverbs. A reading of the book tells us we can be men of wisdom.

If we are wise, we can accept criticism without feeling that we must defend ourselves all the time. We can learn to speak of heavenly things, not only worldly things.

We will take note of our actions and do things in keeping with a godly testimony instead of always following the lead of the world. And we will control our tongues.

With wisdom, we might learn to show mercy as God shows it to us each day. We will open our arms and learn to accept new friends -- break the habit of hanging with the same guys continually. And we might just remember that every transgression against us does not have to be answered.

When wisdom prevails, we will practice being diligent in the Lord's business instead of being consumed with petty squabbles. And if we do quarrel, we will learn to let things go and to not become slaves to grudges.

If we can manage to gain wisdom, we will become more dependable. Our friends and loved ones will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they count on us to be there when the going gets tough.

These are the things which make a man a real man.