This book is about 7 men throughout history who are good role models and heroes and what made them such. In the introduction he talks about why he wrote this book and he offers up the idea that the American culture fears strength, and in order to protect the weak, they must make the strong weak. But in doing so they have stripped men of the thing God gave them in order to protect the weak. God made men stronger than women so that men can protect women. And women in a way expect that because you notice that on the hearts of most young girls is the thought of a knight in shining armor coming to save them. So now our society is stuck in a place where everyone is weak and no one is there to stand up and be the good guy.
Enter Jesus. He comes and shows that the way to be strong is to be a servant. That's why he washed his disciples feet, that's why he died for us. Jesus shows how men should use their strength, for the service of others.
This is where it really started to sink in for me. And in a way this may make for a late father's day post.
As I was growing up I was blessed to have a dad who I thought to be super strong and super manly. But in that masculinity he never came off as overbearing or abusive. Sure, he had his moments where his temper would get the best of him, but he was a loving, caring father as well as a strong man. He wasn't afraid to help those in need, almost to a fault at times. I remember when we were on vacation in Pennsylvania and we were driving on the interstate when my dad sees this lady on the other side of the highway with a blown tire. He proceeded to get off at the next exit and go back to where the lady was. It turns out someone had stopped to help her in the time it took us to get back. But that is the type of role model I had, and I hope that I can be even just half the man my father was.
He taught my brother and I to hold the door open for people, to help those in need, to give even when it hurts, to pick up heavy things for people that aren't as strong, and this never happened to me but help an old lady cross the road. Why? Because it's the nice thing to do, the right thing to do. He didn't just tell my brother and I, he more importantly showed it to us. And when you have a good fatherly role model show his sons how to do something, they will listen because they want to grow up to be like their dad.
I wish he was still here. So often I try to be strong and have faith and I know that this was God's will and He has a plan. But I still miss him. Even time will never fully heal that wound, for it runs deep. I'm a man now, I'm 18 and my father never got to see me become who I am today. Oh how I wish I could ask him if he's proud of me, and so I could say to him, "Look dad, look at the man I've become." But I can't. I'm not bitter at God by any means, in some ways this has been good because it matured me and help me become who I am today, but that being said, I miss him and I will always miss him and I can't wait to get to heaven to embrace him again and tell him I missed him and that I love him.
Over time the memories become less vivid, and become more of "This one time" than a history, my history. But through that I've tried in a way to become like my dad was. Obviously I'm different and also he wasn't perfect so I am becoming my own man rather than a copy of someone else. That being said, I still try to take the things I remember he told me, or the things I saw him doing, and put them into practice. Sometimes my mom will tell me say to me, "The way you were standing out there reminded me of your dad" or, "That's something your dad would have said." And I may not really respond outwardly, but inside, the kid me has the biggest grin on his face because I still want to be like my dad. And I can think of no greater challenge for me than to become a father one day and be such a good role model that when their 18, or in the middle of their rebellious teenage years, that inside themselves they will say "I want to be like dad when I'm older."
