“When does a boy become a man?” is a question that our society usually has a hard time finding an answer for.  Many times, our culture seems to either ignore the question or has found the answer so impossible that we just move on without doing the hard work of finding an answer that is substantial enough to hold up the the rigors of daily living.  Recently I came across an article by Albert Mohler that I think has a lot of truth and substance that is helpful. The following are 13 things that are true about the emergence of manhood in the life of an “adulting” male:

1.  Spiritual maturity sufficient to lead a wife and children.

2.  Personal maturity sufficient to be a responsible husband and father.

3.  Economic maturity sufficient to hold an adult job and handle money.

4.  Physical maturity sufficient to work and protect a family.

5.  Sexual maturity sufficient to marry and fulfill God’s purposes.

6.  Moral maturity sufficient to lead as an example of righteousness.

7.  Ethical maturity sufficient to make responsible decisions.

8.  Worldview maturity sufficient to understand what is really important.

9.  Relational maturity sufficient to aggressively understand and respect others.

10. Social maturity sufficient to make a contribution to society.

11. Verbal maturity sufficient to communicate and articulate as a man.

12. Character maturity sufficient to demonstrate courage and humility under fire.

13. Biblical maturity sufficient to lead at some level in the church.

Now that is a powerful list of qualities that contribute to making a man out of a boy.  Every man I know would confess that they fall short, to some degree, on a few (or maybe a bunch) of these qualities.  However, the journey for a man is not letting their shortcomings stifle their progress.  We simply need to own up to our weaknesses and take incremental steps of growth.

The incredible thing is this… God is more interested in supporting this growth with the indwelling presence of the His Spirit than we can even imagine.  He is not disgusted with our weaknesses, but He is disappointed with our resistance to growth.  So… therefore… what now?  Men, let’s engage God on these issues; let’s cast vision for manhood to those who live around us, and are in our charge; let’s encourage one another and let others encourage us. Let’s allow God’s Spirit to find us and grow us.

If any of you guys want to join us for the Stepping Up: A Call For Courageous Manhood study on Wednesday morning (6:30am) at the Wolf (near the corner of Clayton and Kehr’s Mill Road) you are still very welcome.

Yours,

Kevin