Control is nothing short of being an idol; it is a lie, empty in its promises and deep in its consequences.
Men are taught from a young age to control their emotions and situations in a way that makes true intimate friendships almost impossible to obtain.When they face times of weakness and vulnerability and their own strength fails, who then can they turn to? How can the fix things themselves?
The answer is simple: they control something else. We shouldn't be surprised when young men become enslaved to pornography, drugs, and alcohol, and we certainly shouldn't be shocked that self-mutilation and suicide are on the rise among male adolescents. After all, they can be used as ways to make a guy feel in control of his body and emotions. There are some people enslaved to this world who would choose to point a gun back at themselves and pull the trigger in order to control even the ending of their life. Young men don't know how to ask for help because they are slaves to their own idol of control.
Truth: we have never been in control of anything and will continue to be a slave to our own delusions until we believe in the one whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given.
Christian men, are you raising your children in the way that they should go? Are your teaching them the value of humility and meekness? Christ did not come to control, but came from his majesty and gave himself up for us. Have we (speaking as one with great influence upon younger people) pushed this idea of an "alpha male" upon today's adolescents? Have we made ourselves available to listen to the concerns and troubles of their heart? Are we willing to show our own weaknesses and vulnerabilities with them in order to let them know it is healthy? Is our exertions of control hurting our sons and daughters?
"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness...On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."
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