Today is Valentine's Day. This is the day where millions of men all over this country are frantically scrambling to find flowers at the last minute for their wives, girlfriends, or fiancees so they won't be upset with them. I can be right there with them some years, so I know the feeling of sheer panic that I almost forgot to send my lovely wife flowers or planned a romantic evening for just the two of us. Observing this trend in our country, it makes me wonder if we are doing this for our wives out of a desire to show them how much we love them or do we feel obligated to check this day off the yearly husband check list. I think Valentine's Day should be a wake up call for the men of our society, especially those who follow Christ. We are commanded to love our wives as Christ loved the Church, which means sacrificially. If we are showing love to our wives on Valentine's Day only then we are not fulfilling the God-given command as husbands and men. What our society is missing is real men who are not afraid to show that they desire their wives above all other people in their lives. Our society says the mark of a man is one who does not show emotion. Men are supposed to be stone-cold and tough. However, the greatest man who ever lived, Jesus Christ, was not emotionless or stone-cold towards women. His society treated women as less than human. They were supposed to keep quiet and stay in the house while the men went out to work and socialize. Jesus ignored this cultural stigma towards women. He spoke with a Samaritan woman in public (John 4) which a Jewish man just did not do in his time. Women followed him around (Mary Magdalene) and women were the ones who found his tomb empty while the rough and tough men who were the closest to him were hiding out behind locked doors. As men, if we are afraid to show emotion and let those around us know how much we love our wives, then we need to ask ourselves how much we really love them. I would not be the man I am today if it were not for my wife. She is everything to me. Besides Jesus (who is number 1 by far) she is the next most important person in my life. She helps me in so many ways. She is loving and considerate. She is thoughtful and her attitude towards life is challenging and infectious. I am not afraid to let the world know how much she means to me everyday because I see her as a gift from God that is to be treasured and cherished above all other treasures this world has to offer.
The standard of a real man is found in Jesus. He was not afraid to show his emotions. He was not afraid to exalt women to a higher standing in society. He was not afraid to show love to his closest male friends. Sometimes men are uncomfortable to show love towards some of their closest guy friends, but this is what Jesus did. Men need love too. Love is not a weakness; it is the greatest strength we could have. Paul says that faith, hope, and love remain, but the greatest of these is love (I Corinthians 13). God was not afraid to show people everywhere how much He loved all of us by sending Jesus to die in our place. Therefore, real men should not be afraid to let their guard down, get emotional, and show love because our wives/fiancees/girlfriends need it, our kids need it, our friends need it, and our society needs it. Rise up men of God and love!
No comments:
Post a Comment