Greetings All!
This week's "thought" comes to you from Nick DeCola & Ross McCall, and was taken from their blog site "Cru." It's about men needing male friendship -- what is necessary for that to happen, and what prevents that from happening. And you don't have to be a man to benefit from what is said here! You may be a wife, brother, sister, child, or teenager soon to be heading into manhood. Or you may have a son, husband or friend who looks down, or feels lonely, and needs male friendships to help him grow, become more connected, and find more joy and purpose through meaningful relationships with other godly or Christian men. If so, this article is worth a read. Enjoy.
Dear Christian Man, Why Are You So Lonely?
Enter the search terms “loneliness”
and “men” into Google and notice many options it gives you. Millions. Major
media outlets including the Boston Globe, New York Times and Huffington Post
have all published studies on the phenomenon of male loneliness and its
potential to become a health crisis… So, what is coming between Christian
men and the sense of brotherhood they long for?
Vulnerability
scares men more than skydiving.
Men are the masters of
saying a lot without giving much away. Many men want great friendships
without any risk factor. Sharing an area of struggle or telling someone that
you want to get to know them better feels risky. It is
risky. People can misunderstand us, judge us or otherwise disappoint
us. If we’re honest, we’ve all known some form of rejection in our lives and
we’d prefer to avoid that in our future. But the ability to be our authentic
selves, our good, bad and ugly selves, is impossible without
vulnerability. Too many men’s events are full of talk about how we
can be warriors for God while ignoring the realities of men who are losing
their battles. Our common enemy loves to see an isolated Christian, and many
are hiding in the corners of our gatherings or choosing not to come. If
this is you, you’re not alone. If you’re unsure who you can be real with, ask
God to point you in the right direction.
Men don’t see each other in 3D.
If you only see friends
once a week for a Bible study, are you doing life together or checking boxes?
Information alone doesn’t change our beliefs or lead to transformation.
Biblical truth experienced through meaningful relationship is a recipe for life
change. Snake hunting in the Everglades. Eleven hours binge-watching
HBO’s “Band of Brothers” in camouflage clothing. Monday night football. Coffee
and acoustic music… Do something together with no obvious spiritual value.
Having fun is a spiritual activity because it lowers the defenses we often put
up in small group settings and allows people to see another side of
us. Far too often we paddle in
shallow honesty while craving the deeper waters of transparency and
vulnerability.
Accountability is a popular
term among Christian men. If we say it enough times each week we must be doing
something right – right? The danger is that we fall into the trap of
attending a weekly men’s group and confessing the same thing without committing
to whatever it takes to change. It’s not authentic because it lacks the courage
to look at what’s driving our behavior… Are you willing to let others ask
you questions you don’t want to answer? Are you willing to ask someone
those questions? You might have to put your superficial friendship on the
line to reach for something better, but if nothing changes, nothing changes.
Men search in vain for the “right” small group.
Men’s groups and events
abound. We often look for the perfect group based on our stage in life and our
first impressions of other people in the group. But this presents two problems.
We won’t feel safe with people until we’ve been through something with them.
And once the perfect group includes someone as imperfect as you, it’s days are
numbered. Deeper friendships take more time than we’re used to giving anything
these days. They also involve working through conflict, which we try to avoid
at all costs.
Men have lost the art of living for others.
The paralytic in Mark 2
could never have had an audience with Jesus without his four friends tearing a
hole in the roof and lowering him down. They went the extra mile.
Do you ever feel paralyzed in your life as a Christian man? Do you know
others who fit that description? What lengths will you go to for each
other? It might be taking calls in the middle of the night, or offering
to have your friend live with you while they work through something. It might
be something much simpler. What’s certain is that you’ll need to do more than
“like” your friend’s Facebook posts, but so will they. This pursuit of deeper
relationships is how you really want to live because it’s how you were designed
to live.
Men cannot become
their truest selves alone.
Many of us have had mixed
experiences with male role models growing up, but if we choose to avoid
pursuing male friendships we stand no chance of healing old hurts. Those open
wounds will wait patiently for the chance to hit you with a sucker punch.
At one
point in my early 20's a former girlfriend nicknamed me "Desperado" after
the man spoken of in the song by that name. You know, the one "out mending
fences for so long" who needed to "let somebody love
[him]." I assume it was because I wouldn't let anyone
get too close to me. Of course, the rugged, independent, individualist
male image isn't as prevalent in society as it used to be (John Wayne and the
Marlboro Man are known to very few today), but a degree of the image still
lingers in the background of the male psyche to urge men to go it alone or
think they really don't need deep male friendships.
I was once one of those
men. But I've gone through enough to realize it's not healthy, nor was it
ever God's intended purpose that men isolate themselves and try to go it alone.
In fact, that can be as bad as friendships with men who are bad influences. It
can often get us into trouble and leave us with much pent-up stuff brewing
inside. Jesus established deep relationships with the inner three (Peter,
James, and John) and very solid relationships with the other nine. And
though they had their moments of disagreement and relational friction, other
than Judas they were there for each other and had each other's back. Even when
Jesus sent the disciples out it was never alone -- but "two by
two." We would do well to heed His method and example!
In the Bonds of Christian
Fellowship, Pastor Jeff
