Those young men respected me a lot because I think for some of them I was one of the first examples of someone who both participated in sports or what we might categorize as typically manly things and yet at the same time was not afraid to admit my shortcomings and cry when needed.

My students and athletes saw me cry and confess where I’d let them down, or let others down. I confessed struggles I’d had in the past, and they certainly saw me struggle with my anger issues for which I had to humbly apologize to them on occasion. I certainly hope that was the right example.

But that alone, or the fact that I was their Bible teacher probably wasn’t what made them, in a few cases, try to emulate me. What added to that was that while I wasn’t the caricature of a manly man that we see portrayed so idiotically in our culture, I still enjoyed some of the same things they did. Many times I had those young men over to my house to play Xbox. The wrestling matches on retreats were legendary, and I had to play ball with them whenever they played. (Do you know how hard basketball is to play in dress shoes and a shirt and tie.)

Honestly, I think that as men, if we want to portray Christ, we have to portray all of it. We should be willing to confess, certainly we have to drop the idol of perfection that we hold up in evangelical circles. At the same time, though I think there is a bit too much focus on the manliness currently, it is still acceptable to be “manly”. It’s okay to want to be a hero, to want to be strong, as long as we remember that any strength or heroism is not in us, but is in Christ.

Great lyric. Thanks! And you’re welcome, too.