We want to be better men, but this is no easy journey. Maturity is not a consequence of age and is a skill that must be developed.
Photo by Brad Neathery on Unsplash
At puberty, nothing was required of us for our voice to deepen or to grow pubic hair; all we had to do was wait for our bodies to change.
The same is not true for growing into our potential as men.
It takes a lot of work to become men with deep purpose and presence. And deep connections in relationships is not a given either.
Growth into mature masculinity is a skill that must be painstakingly developed like any other skill, and developed over the long haul. It may even take a decade to truly measure our growth.
But here again, this is not merely a decade of waiting, but rather daily effort to remember who we are and who we want to be – a decade of consistent practice to move toward our Ideal Man.
Yes, life is busy and the demands of work, marriage, and parenting leave little time to focus on our masculine development. But we must carve out the time.
We must actively and persistently work toward becoming better men.
If we do not, we suffer, along with everyone else around us. Instead of being a source of rooted and life-giving strength, we allow the foundation of our families and society to erode.
The goodness of our strength is desperately needed.
Develop your skills of manhood by:
- Committing to daily practice. How am I bringing my God given strength to bear in this situation or relationship? Am I bringing more life to it?
- Forging your masculine community. Developing the goodness of our strength is not a journey we can take alone. We cannot reach our potential isolated from other men. Find peers, mentors, and coaches to practice the skill of masculine living.
