The thought of offering our strength to others is very attractive. As it should be. But our maturity also requires us to learn how to receive, which is much more challenging.
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash
It’s considered manly to enter into someone else’s world to offer our strength on their behalf.
And we pride ourselves on this very thing – to know others need us and that we can come through for them.
The problem comes when we see masculinity only in terms of us giving our strength and are unable to also receive.
Maybe as young boys we freely received the help of our dads and rested in the presence of older men.
But somewhere along the way we came to believe the only dependable strength was our own. It seemed immature and weak to need other men.
So, while we turned to women for comfort and nurturing and sought to impress them with our masculine bravado, rarely did we seek the company of other men to receive life from them.
We believe life is up to us – to figure things out and make things happen. And our relationships with other men are a luxury at best.
As with others, so with God
Our failure to thrive is likely related to this hesitation to receive deeply, in part because our human relationships often mirror our relationship with God.
If we will not connect with other men and fully receive their strength, will we allow ourselves to be empowered by God and fully receive his?
We need God to empower us – to fill us to the brim in order to accomplish all he has called us to.
And this is often done through our relationship with other men.
God uses these men to pour life and strength into us – empowering us to impact the world for good.
Our task is to open and receive.
Yes, you have a strength to offer. But don’t forget, you must also receive.
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