Monday, June 15, 2009

June 15, 2009

"When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel." I Kings 2:1-4
Solomon knew how to be a man because he had seen the example of a man in his father, King David. There really is a lot of truth in the statement, "To be a man you have to see a man."
We are visual people. What we see and where we fix our focus and what we visualize influences us. I go on various golf instructional websites and watch videos of good golfers swinging the golf club so I can fix that image in my mind. My body can't produce a good swing if my mind hasn't memorized one.
There never would have been a Tiger Woods if there hadn't been a Jack Nicklaus and there wouldn't have been a Jack if there hadn't been a Ben Hogan and there wouldn't have been a Ben Hogan if there hadn't been a Bobby Jones. They became great golfers because they saw great golfers.
I never had the benefit of a father to watch as I was growing up. My dad was never around and my step-father was not involved. What I learned from them was how not to do the "dad thing". Early in my live I decided to try to be like my Heavenly Father and different from my earthly fathers.
God was faithful to put some men in my path to help model manhood and fatherhood. I am eternally grateful to men like Ralph Westafer and Jim Poyner and Ray Lyne and Paul Mills and Steve Wright and Forrest Gearhart who helped me know what a godly man looked like. They let me see one so I could be one. Not only did I become a better man because of their examples, my boys became better men because of what I gleaned from these men. They influenced at least two generations - probably more.
Did I want to be like my father? No. Would I want my boys to be like me? Yes, except better. And I owe that to these guys and others.
So, if there are any men reading this post today, my challenge is this - "Be one so others can see one."