Men who follow Christ need to engage in meaningful relationships. That means that our wives are well-loved because we have demonstrated over time how much they mean to us. We are deeply engaged with our children, and they know that they can trust us and have confidence that their daddy will take care of them. Beyond our families, it is important for men to have deep relationships with a few close brothers in Christ who can help us to navigate the difficulties of the masculine journey together. This is crucial for men because we tend to isolate ourselves. Americans tend to value the self-made man, the rugged loner who takes on everything that life throws at him. Old West movies, or the Die Hard movies, are examples of how our culture lifts up men who take on the world by themselves.
Unfortunately, the movies are just the movies. Isolation really is detrimental to the masculine journey. We need other men to stand shoulder to shoulder with us when the battles, seen or unseen, come at us. In this life we must fight, but we cannot fight alone. In my life, I have intentionally set up time with men every week for us to meet and encourage one another along through life. In other words, I intentionally share my life with close friends who speak into my journey regularly. I am not on a solo mission. This difficult adventure requires much more than a solo mission. We must bring others along with us, and that is the only way that we will not only survive but thrive. So, when the rest of the world seems to be withdrawing, we as followers of Christ must engage. That engagement begins with authentic relationships with our family and friends, and it extends out into all of the relationships with people in the world that we might interact with. And it all starts with our relationship with God. If that relationship is not strong, then all of our other relationships will suffer.
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