Authentic Manhood - Reject Passivity

In his book Raising a Modern Day Knight Robert Lewis's first principal of authentic manhood is Rejecting Passivity.

It is very easy for me to be passive.  Standing up for what I believe is right does not come naturally for me. When faced with a tough situation or a lot of work my first reaction is to just keep my mouth shut and quit before I start.  The best things in my life have happened because I reject passivity and made a move.

When I finally decided to follow Christ with all of my heart I knew I had to move from where I was.  I needed to get away from the town, those friends, and that life.  I needed an escape.  The only place I knew to go was to a camp in northern Minnesota that I went to as a high schooler.  Instead of just hoping for it or thinking that they wouldn't want me in the first place, I went for it.  I wrote them a letter and told them that I would do whatever it took to be up there for the summer.  If they would feed me and provide me a place to sleep I would work for free.  It happened and that summer is when I really opened myself up to the working of God.

When I met my wife for the first time I thought she was way too pretty for me.  She was very confident and she was by far the best looking girl in school.  Instead of hoping that she would see me or think that I just wasn't good enough, I went for it.  At a basketball game I walked right next to her and started talking to her.  After that I called her house to ask her out.  I pursued her and life has not been the same since.  I'm glad I wasn't passive in that situation.

The best things in life are free.  Well, in the sense that they don't cost money.  The best things in this world are things that we must risk everything for.  In Matthew 13:44, Jesus states, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field."  The man gave everything that he had in order to get something that was much better.

It's about safety.  Passivity is being scared to step out  onto unsafe ground.  When we reject that passivity we can hold on to a better life with more adventure.  That's what I want (even when I don't think I do)!


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