Allowing our men to be men

Have you read Wild at Heart by John Eldredge? It is a fabulous book; and in my mind, a must-read for all men AND women. I learned so much about Clay and his inner workings from this book.

I was reminded today of the premise of the book as I read my devotional (also by Eldredge). As a Christian society, we have emasculated our men while trying to get them to fit into some "nice guy" mold. We've taken away their courage to explore, squelched their desire to fight, and encouraged them to separate themselves from their heart.

We need to let go of our ideals and what we think makes a good Christian man allowing God to ignite a fire again in our men bringing their hearts back to life. Only then, in my opinion, will we discover the passionate prince charming we gals dreamed of as little girls really does exist.

Easier said than done (at least for me)...sometimes I find it hard to understand or accept parts of Clay's "wildness" - the "wildness of his heart" that makes him a man. It is hard when it doesn't fit into the neat package I was told to seek as a child. It is hard not to wonder what others will think if they learn this or that about him. But when it comes right down to it, I would prefer him to be true to his heart and seeking passionately after God than conforming to some image created by another human. God created us in His image - warrior and beauty - and we need to allow all parts of Him to shine through us.