Stand Up Like a Man

In recent weeks the Lord convicted me about the small amount of time I spent reading books. This is one of those things we all want to do, but sadly run out of time. In my case, by the end of the night I’m too tired and mentally drained to feel like reading.

But I rededicated myself to reading last week….

and was so thankful I did!

I spent the week reading “Where the Red Fern Grows” a classic book by Wilson Rawls about a boy who desperately wanted two hunting dogs. What struck me throughout the book was just how hard the boy had to work at a very young age.

His parents didn’t have the money to buy him hunting dogs, so for two years he saved up his money in order to purchase them.

That in itself is an amazing accomplishment! But he proceeds to work extremely hard at hunting in order to sell animal furs, and care for his family. By the end of the book they have enough money to move from their small cabin into the city so he could have a better education.

Towards the end of the book his dogs die after protecting him from a mountain lion. His father cannot explain why the Lord allowed his dogs to die. But said there are times in the life of boys when they need to “stand up like a man.”

The truth is the boy was standing up like a man throughout the entire book.

I couldn’t help while reading “Where the Red Fern Grows” but notice many young (and old) men who don’t choose to stand up like a man. Amazingly, it seems they are happier living like little boys instead!

There are many reasons for this

but one of the most important is it’s honestly hard to be a man

Standing up like a man means taking ownership of your life, putting in the work, and developing character among other things. It’s easier to rely upon others, make excuses, and live in comfort (be a boy not a man).

Sadly, this attitude grows very quickly so today it’s becoming harder and harder to find someone willing to stand up like a man.

I don’t have all the answers to this complex problem friends, but believe it begins with challenging boys at a younger age to be men. In the end though we cannot really blame the boys for this problem, the blame lies with the grown men who won’t stand up.