Man Enough to be Perfect
Posted on January 10, 2008 - Filed Under general |
Most of us would agree that life’s circumstances are just hard sometimes and some of our relationships can be even harder. Often times it seems like the people in our lives make the bad circumstances worse. Or is it the bad circumstances that seem to make the people in our lives worse? No matter what, it is never best to crawl into a hole and “do nothing” about improving our difficult circumstances or restoring those challenging relationships.
Here’s the challenge I want to leave you with as we wrap up yet another year and look ahead to 2008; If we are to be men of real integrity, we have an obligation, as the leader of our families and as men of God in our communities, to avoid leaving a slaughtered mess in our wake as we strive to pursue success in the many endeavors of this life. It’s unavoidable that we mess things up from time to time. But as we move forward on behalf of our families and businesses, we must stand on right principles, advocate for the truth, and remain firm on our values. It is the responsibility of every man of God to be the catalyst for improvement and restoration when the results of our imperfect efforts are less than desirable.
Here’s where the whole asking for and offering forgiveness thing comes in. As men, we must get over our macho pride and become more willing to ask those we hurt…for forgiveness. Who am I to tell you what to do about any relationship or business decision, except to encourage you to do all you know that God would have you do. After all, His standards are the only ones that really matter.
Where can we start practicing and perfecting this “asking for” and “offering” forgiveness idea? We don’t have to go far to find plenty of opportunities…in our homes. Again, we all blow it from time to time, but true restoration comes when our love for our wives and kids is never in doubt…by them or us…regardless of how tough things get. Is there any doubt about your love for your wife and kids…or theirs for you? If so, you are not alone. However, you not only have an opportunity, but a serious responsibility to deal with it. If you have been putting it off, there’s no better time than now. Trust me, your new year is about to get way better if you act on my suggestion.
As for me, I find myself needing to ask for forgiveness often…sometimes for what I have done or haven’t done, but more often for how I carry out a decision. (in anger, at the wrong time, using the wrong words, etc.) As for my wife and kids…man, have I done a lot of stuff the wrong way. It is not uncommon for me to be sorry about how I delivered a decision, yet not necessarily sorry for the decision itself. I know you understand. Of course, my decisions aren’t always right, but if I make a mistake, which happens more often than I like to admit…I have made a commitment to make it right to the best of my ability as quickly as I can. I think it’s called “having the guts” to lay aside my pride while scraping together whatever courage I can muster…to accept the responsibility of true leadership in my home. I am learning that if I struggle to lead effectively in my home, I will struggle to lead effectively in most every area of my life.
We all admire men who have “the guts” to make hard decisions…on behalf of his marriage…his children…his health…his career. Many of our decisions, no doubt, have been about trying to do the right thing, under God. If we never made mistakes along the way…I guess we’d be God Himself! Since that’s not happening, we’ll have to continue to rely on His word, His spirit, and His people to figure things out as we go…imperfectly passionate about moving forward in His name and by His power.
One final thought. To be “perfect”, according to God’s definition, is for each of us to be mature enough or “man enough” to admit our imperfections while never letting the mistakes of the past dictate our motivation to move forward in pursuit of the call of God on our life. “…I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect have this attitude…” (Phil. 3:13-15) Will you be man enough…to be perfect…in 2008?
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