From Male-hood to Manhood
There is a great difference between a male and a man. It is not difficult to produce a male. All that is required is sperm and egg. It is far more challenging to cultivate a man, because among other things, it requires dedication, determination and discipline on the part of the parents and the male himself. The male is largely governed by instincts while the man is directed by integrity. The male is selfish in his outlook but the man is selfless in his input. The male will run from his responsibilities whilst the man will race toward his obligations. The male will devalue and degrade a woman, whereas a man will venerate and validate a woman. The male will disappear when the going gets tough but the man will stand up and fight even when the fire is furious.
I continue to admire and highly respect numerous men today who have purposefully grown from male-hood to manhood and continue to display a sterling example of what a man should be. On the other hand, I bow my head in shame as I see and hear of too many adult males who are still displaying characteristics consistent with male-hood.
I launched my latest book, A Portrait of God’s Model Man a few days ago. In it, I depicted the life of a man called Job who grew from male-hood to manhood and showed forth relevant principles which raised the bar in challenging every twenty first century male to be a model man. The superior quality lifestyle this ordinary man demonstrated against the backdrop of popular culture, challenged my own life to be a better man.
Job grew up from humble beginnings to become the wealthiest man in Arabia and did not bend to dishonest means to accomplish that goal. I observed that his developing an intimate relationship with God, living a life of integrity and exhibiting humility earned the smile of his Creator who said to the most wicked, sinister, deceptive, and malevolent enemy of mankind, Satan that “there is none like him in the earth”.
I could not avoid taking more than a cursory glance at a human being unveiling righteous, trustworthy and respectful servant leadership within his home and the society in which he resided, and the high respect he earned from all and sundry.
I was also compelled to gracefully salute an ordinary man who took on the role of a social activist and assertively used the tools of education, motivation, counselling and encouragement to elevate the downtrodden and disadvantaged to lofty heights of worth and value.
As I continued to peer into the practical life of this man Job, found in the Holy Scriptures, I could not escape the unconditional love he exercised toward his spouse and the exemplary way he guided his ten children. For him, family was always to be placed on the front-burner of his existence and looking out for their welfare was never to be compromised. He knew that a man can only be an effective full-fledged minister of external affairs if he first becomes a mature minister of home affairs.
One of the things that bowled me over, however was this man’s resilience in times of severe testing. He encountered six major downturns in a short period of time and was able to emerge out of each bruised but not broken. Socially, those close to him rejected him. Economically, his assets suddenly took a horrendous nosedive. Physically, he developed major health issues. Emotionally, he became seriously depressed. Mentally, he could not figure out why his world seemed to have swiftly collapsed around him. Spiritually, it seemed as if God had left him to attend to other concerns. I discovered that three concrete pillars firmly anchored Job’s personality and prevented him from crash-landing. They were his intimacy with God, his integrity and his humility.
I was forced therefore to conclude after writing A Portrait of God’s Model Man that if the three mentioned characteristics are developed in the life of any male, male-hood will, over time, disappear and manhood would elegantly emerge.
I continue to admire and highly respect numerous men today who have purposefully grown from male-hood to manhood and continue to display a sterling example of what a man should be. On the other hand, I bow my head in shame as I see and hear of too many adult males who are still displaying characteristics consistent with male-hood.
I launched my latest book, A Portrait of God’s Model Man a few days ago. In it, I depicted the life of a man called Job who grew from male-hood to manhood and showed forth relevant principles which raised the bar in challenging every twenty first century male to be a model man. The superior quality lifestyle this ordinary man demonstrated against the backdrop of popular culture, challenged my own life to be a better man.
Job grew up from humble beginnings to become the wealthiest man in Arabia and did not bend to dishonest means to accomplish that goal. I observed that his developing an intimate relationship with God, living a life of integrity and exhibiting humility earned the smile of his Creator who said to the most wicked, sinister, deceptive, and malevolent enemy of mankind, Satan that “there is none like him in the earth”.
I could not avoid taking more than a cursory glance at a human being unveiling righteous, trustworthy and respectful servant leadership within his home and the society in which he resided, and the high respect he earned from all and sundry.
I was also compelled to gracefully salute an ordinary man who took on the role of a social activist and assertively used the tools of education, motivation, counselling and encouragement to elevate the downtrodden and disadvantaged to lofty heights of worth and value.
As I continued to peer into the practical life of this man Job, found in the Holy Scriptures, I could not escape the unconditional love he exercised toward his spouse and the exemplary way he guided his ten children. For him, family was always to be placed on the front-burner of his existence and looking out for their welfare was never to be compromised. He knew that a man can only be an effective full-fledged minister of external affairs if he first becomes a mature minister of home affairs.
One of the things that bowled me over, however was this man’s resilience in times of severe testing. He encountered six major downturns in a short period of time and was able to emerge out of each bruised but not broken. Socially, those close to him rejected him. Economically, his assets suddenly took a horrendous nosedive. Physically, he developed major health issues. Emotionally, he became seriously depressed. Mentally, he could not figure out why his world seemed to have swiftly collapsed around him. Spiritually, it seemed as if God had left him to attend to other concerns. I discovered that three concrete pillars firmly anchored Job’s personality and prevented him from crash-landing. They were his intimacy with God, his integrity and his humility.
I was forced therefore to conclude after writing A Portrait of God’s Model Man that if the three mentioned characteristics are developed in the life of any male, male-hood will, over time, disappear and manhood would elegantly emerge.