Earlier this semester I was blessed to have the opportunity to serve on a retreat geared toward college students. While serving on this retreat, my friend Autumn mentioned something in her talk that I desperately needed to hear. In sharing her own attempt to follow God's plan for her life, she brought up the term guidance. Now a cool way to think about guidance is the following statement: God yoU and i DANCE. Now in dancing, if both people try to lead the dance, well it's not going to work out well, and it's not going to be a very fun dance. But if one person concedes the lead to the other, and follows the lead of the other person, things work out very smoothly, and the dance is quite enjoyable. So it is in life. As long as I am trying to fight God for control of my life, things are going to be pretty rough, and I'm going to be unhappy with my life. And the things is that if I wasn't so caught up in my own plan and agenda, God has written this message out in so many areas of my life. Most obvious are all the scripture passages concerning our futures:
Jeremiah 29:11 "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for."
Proverbs 16:9 "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.
Reflecting on my own life, I can see how true this is, yet I continuely try to take control of the wheel. And by getting caught up with all these plans and dreams of mine, I miss some of hte greatest gifts God gives...I miss the present moment and all the simple delights found in life. I was reminded of this the past two weekends when driving home from Manhattan. Now some of you will probably think I'm kinda weird for saying this, but I absolutely love Kansas. It has been wonderful growing up here and I want nothing more than-God willing I should have a family some day-the opportunity to raise a family here in Kansas. While driving home the past two weekends I have seen one of my favorite sites, and one reason I love Kansas so much:
the sun setting over the pastures and fields of the Kansas country side. For whatever reason this simple phenomenon of life fills me with such peace and love of God...yet I often miss out on the opportunity to experience it beacause I get so wrapped up in the "life" I create for myself. So I have challenged myself to start slowing down more and simply enjoying the little things
The other topic I wished to touch upon is in light of all the news and media I've heard lately. I read the newspaper fairly regularly and lately all I've been hearing about is how Ashton Kutcher cheated on his wife again, the scandal surrounding Penn State University, how our economy is shambles, protests are going on all over the US, and all our Congress can do is fight with one another (oh and declare pizza sauce a vegetable so pizza can still be used in schools...great use of tax dollars right there folks)...and other similar stories. One question has continuously been running through my head....where are all the real men?
Recently the Men of Chi Rho went and watched the movie Courageous. In the song "Courageous" by Casting Crowns, there is a line that I think answers my question quite well, "We were warriors on the front lines;Standing, unafraid
But now we're watchers on the sidelinesWhile our families slip away"
Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." I believe this is exactly what we are seeing in today's society. Men are too content to settle for good instead of great. In reading some books by John Elredge, I have realized that for the vast majority of men, their greatest fear is failure. The questions that dogs them their whole lives is, "Do I have what it takes? Am I really a man?" In the fear of falling short of this, men have ceased to take risks....ceased to make a stand for the truth. This inaction is allowing evil to corrupt and destroy our society.
In the war of the mind
I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart
And the battle of the hand
We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight
Our sisters in Christ are under attack now more than ever. Society tells them they have to look a certain way in order to be beautiful....to act a certain way in order to be accepted. Self image continues to deteriorate in youth and materialism continues to run rampart. According to society if you look a certain way and have all these things then you will be happy. Where are the men proclaiming the truth to happiness? Aside from the few men preaching it up in the pulpit, I don't hear it. Most of us have lost sight of the truth. We fall into the trap laid by the enemy. If I don't have such and such job and make so much money and provide for my family, I'm not a man. Lies my brothers!
When was the last time you told one of your sisters in Christ how beautiful she was or how much you enjoyed her company? Too long ago I fear for the great majority of us. Hence rises one of the worst problems men battle in today's society: pornography. Satan's no dummy...he hits at the core of weakness. Afraid of failure or rejection? Satan provides a solution that takes away the risks of the situation and seemingly provide all the rewards. Yet this is tearing our society apart. And worse it has led even more to the objectification of our sisters in Christ. Where are you men of courage?
And the problem doesn't stop with just our sisters in Christ. Now, this evil permeates all aspects of society and has infiltrated our leaders and now our economy and our countries are wavering. Well men, it's time to stop being spectators. This weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to watch my brother's soccer tourney. As the games went on I listend as parents yelled at their sons for making bad passes or not making the right plays, yelling at the refs for missed calls...myself included (still just a bit competitive). But as I got to thinking, I use to be a player myself. And it's one thing to sit on the sidelines and complain about how things are going...but it's something completely different being out on the field...to be an active participator. Things don't always go perfectly, but you don't complain. You just keep working and keep giving it everything you have. This is what frustrates me most about the Occupy Wall street, and occupy this and that. These protestors are nothing more than spectators on the sideline, complaining about the calls life has thrown at them. They can see something is wrong, but they aren't doing anything to fix the problem. Men, it's time to stop sitting on the sidelines and time to start being active participators in life. It's time to man up and face our fears....to take risks for the things that are most important in our life.
Most importantly we cannot forget we are in this alone. Christ arms us to ride into battle...gives us strength to make a stand. We are provided so many opportunities: mass, confession, the rosary, adoration, and so much more but we don't take advantage of the blessings God places in our lives. In the words of G.K. Chesteron, "The issue is now clear. It is between light and darkness and everyone must choose his side."
Esto vir! (be a man!).
