Ownership

Manhood requires that you take ownership of your life. You must realize that your decisions matter. You have a choice in everything that you do, think and believe in. You can’t rely on others to tell you what to do, or how to think or what to believe in. You as a man have to make those decisions yourself. You need to have a resolve in yourself about what kind of man you want to be. No one can tell you what man to be or how to be it. The decisions that you make will be based on what you believe. You will need to take ownership of what you believe in. Everything that you will do will be based on what you believe. The belief system that you develop over the years will require you to defend it. You will have to stand alone at times, because of what you believe. No matter what area and topic in life it maybe, you will have to show strength in what you believe by backing it up with action.

For the young man that may not have had a father in their life or a man that was constantly present loving on them and pouring life wisdom into them about being a man, I have a couple of things to tell you. First, I am sorry that you have had to live a life without the constant positive image of a male role model. But what manhood requires now that childhood is behind you is to realize that your past does not have to dictate your future. You don’t need to be searching and waiting and hoping for someone to come along to be a role model in your life. You can take action, by taking ownership in the developmental process of yourself growing into the man you desire and are seeking to be. You can read books about different men and their life journey, drawing from what shaped and molded them. You can look back at all the men that have come into your life, whether for a year, a moment or even for just one word. You can rejoice in them leaving a mark. Because sometimes it is those one word golden nuggets, moments of wisdom and loving acknowledgement that will be engraved in your memory and ignite something in you that propels you into the man you are meant to be. So think back on all those times when someone has said or done something positive in your life. Grab hold of it and run with it. Add it to your library of manhood development.

My questions to you are: What is your belief system? What are your values and principles in life? These things will be your navigation, your compass in the decisions that you make and the path that you will pave. A man without a belief system, values and principles- is like a blank piece of paper being tossed endlessly around the land by the wind. This is the journey of manhood that builds foundation and stability. This is the search that every one of us must go on. These are the things that will help you to discover and understand who you are and your purpose. This is the time to get to know the real you; To be intimate with yourself in ways that scares you; To be honest with yourself when all you have is denial and lies that you tell yourself. This is where the fun begins. This is the adventure that waits when transitioning from childhood into manhood.

Take action in owning the responsibility of discovering, understanding and building your vision of being a man.

“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:17

“The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites…See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession…” Deuteronomy 1:6-8

“Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.”Ezra 10:4

Duane