The world did not make you a soft man. The world is honest about what it wants from you. The pulpit is where you learned the lies, because they came wrapped in a verse with the second half cut off. “Quit you like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13). They never finished reading it to you. Here are six.
“A real man is gentle.” True, and twisted. They turned gentle into passive. They never mention the morning Christ braided a whip and cleared the temple by hand. Gentle is power under command. It is not a man who will not raise his voice while the wolves are already in the room.
“Servant leadership.” Half a sentence preached as a whole one. They love the servant and bury the leader. A man who only serves and never leads is just absent with extra steps and a better excuse.
“Let go and let God.” Passivity in a Sunday suit. God told you to stand, to watch, to be strong. He never once told a man to go limp and call it faith.
“Provide and you have done your part.” A paycheck is not a covering. Your children do not need more of your money. They need a father who opens the Book at the table while they watch.
