Do Hard Things!
A few years ago two brothers wrote a book called, "Do Hard Things!" That's a surprising title for a culture that craves things to be easy. Many love the slogan- "That was easy!" But what we glory in is never easy. What separates the mere males from manly men is challenge; it's doing hard things. Think about it. What do men glory in? It's the "tough stuff" they endured or the hard things they accomplished. Here are some examples-
The glory of policemen and firemen- their close calls with death.
The glory of iron workers- working high up on a skyscraper.
The glory of construction workers- dealing with incredible cold and hot outdoor conditions.
The glory of many blue collar workers- starting their day so early and long weeks with loads of overtime.
The glory of those in college or taking classes- late nights or all-nighters. studying for tough exams.
The glory of salesmen- enduring lots of rejection and no income because of such.
The glory of an entrepreneur- trying to get their dream to become a reality instead of the current nightmare that it is.
The glory of a husband- being faithful and forgiving even when his wife is having her time of the month or menopausal.
The glory of a dad- all the things he does, on top of everything else, to care for his kids.
What about the glory of Jesus? It included the cross!(John 12:23-33) Jesus is our ultimate example of a manly man. He did the hardest of hard things. Yes, the glory of a man involves doing hard things, not easy things. Read today's passage in Proverbs- 6:1-11. (If time permits, read 6:12-19 as well.)
Psalm 15:4 says that the man who may live close to God must keep his oaths even when it hurts. The man in Prov.6:1-5 is exhorted to resolve his problem even if it he must forego sleep. "Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids." This reminds me of the pledge each of us has made, "No scripture, no sleep." We will allow no sleep to our our eyes until we have spent time reading and sharing what we got from God's word. I know that's a sacrifice at times when our day is unusually full and our routine gets blown out of the water. But that is a "glory" opportunity- when we do hard things for God's glory.
1.-For the sake of new men joining M3, share about a time that was hard for you to do something, but your persevered anyway.
2.-Now share about a time that was hard for you to blog and what has helped you to be faithful. Or perhaps share about a time when you didn't blog and what you learned from that. This will help newcomers to learn from you how to be unstoppable.
I will take these stories and put them together for new men as they join us down the road. And the men you enrich and enlist will be your glory as well. Paul said of those he reached, "Indeed, you are our glory and joy!" 1 Th.2:20. So keep up the good work, even if it seems hard. Be faithful to sow seeds in others lives. You will reap, if you don't give up. Do hard things! Be faithful to God and the mission- to multiply manly men. Do hard things! Be like the determined ant we read about in v.6-11. Ants don't need others reminding them what to do. Manly men don't need people calling them up to remind them to be true to their word and God's word. They do hard things. Doing hard things is your manly glory. And if persecution should ever come our way, as it did to Jesus and the apostles, be true to the Lord even unto death. Jesus promised, "Be faithful, even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life." Rev.2:10. Do hard things. You will never regret it. When it's hard to blog, do it anyway. That is your glory! Anybody can take the easy way out. Do hard things. That is how a manly man of God is made. He keeps his commitments. So you know what to do- Do hard things! (Note: I am not lifting up our Bible blogging as the height of spirituality and manliness. Actually, it is just a basic. If I am not faithful to my word and to God's word, I'll make excuses for anything and everything else that strikes me as hard or inconvenient. Manliness starts and continues by being faithful to God's word and your word. Here's another manly piece of advice-
Eliminate unmanly words from your vocabulary.
Here are a few that I've heard grown men use, which cheapens their character and manliness-
Remind me (Really? Is he such a little boy that he needs someone else to do such for him? He needs to take responsibility for writing it down and doing it.)
You should have reminded me! (How many wives hear this from their husbands? No, it's his responsibility not someone else's if he failed to do it. )
I was really busy. (Me too. Too busy to keep your word? Let me introduce you to some men who are a lot busier, but sacrifice even sleep to be true to the Lord and their word. Do hard things!)
I wasn't able to do it. (Wasn't able, or wasn't determined? The nation you are from will determine your success of failure in life. Are you from the nation of Determination or Procrastination?)
I need you to hold me accountable. (That sounds spiritual, but it's often an excuse for future failure- "I would have succeeded, but you didn't call me up enough to keep me accountable." Instead, tell that man- "Do you want to be held accountable? No problem, you are being held accountable by God. So do what needs to be done. I will encourage you to succeed, but I won't treat you as a weakling because you are a warrior. So man up and fight! Do hard things."
I'll try to get to it. or I tried. Ugh! To quote the wise Jedi Master, Yoda, when Luke Skywalker halfheartedly said he would give it a try- "No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." Just how hard did the guy try? I taught my little children, "Try until you triumph!"
I didn't know how to do it. or I couldn't find your phone number. (Really? How hard did the guy look? If he was paid $500 to find it, could he track down the know how or the phone number via mutual friends, the internet, etc.?)
So instead of using such unmanly words, seek to rectify the situation. Perhaps say, "I'm sorry I blew it. What can I do to make it up to you?" Try saying that to your wife with empathy when you've hurt her feelings. It sure beats using weak, unmanly excuses, which only make things worse.
"Be like the determined little ant, it's never lazy, saying, I can't."
Prepare to be impressed by God's amazing little creatures in the following video.
3.-Copy a verse or phrase onto your MP3 card that you liked from our portion in Proverbs 6 and seek to share it with others. (And perhaps share the ant video with your kids or others. Always be on the look out for things you could pass on to enrich others.)
Announcements
I am very happy to introduce to you a good friend of mine, Ed Lake. Ed holds a Master's degree in Education and has taught for several years overseas. Currently Ed and his family live in Singapore where he teaches. (So thanks to him, M3 is already going global:) Ed is a very careful and deep thinker and a loving brother, so I know you will enjoy having him on the team. We're glad to welcome you on board Ed!
I want to honor each and every one of you as you recruit and multiply manly men. This is our mission and your lasting legacy. Thus, on our GREAT Scoreboard, you'll notice a new column that does just that. Recruiting others is not really a hard thing, but it is a great thing. Way to go and grow God's kingdom. Also thanks for faithfully putting your points on the scoreboard. May I suggest that some of you strive to score at least 25 points a week. You'll notice others are scoring well over 50. Do hard things that will make a GREAT impact in others lives. Bless you!
We now have a new tool to help new men be better oriented to the blog. Andre gave this good suggestion at Sunday's meeting. Now you'll find a "Welcome to M3" button in the upper right corner of our blog, right under the Home and Resources buttons. The article within especially explains about the GREAT scoreboard, earning the Unstoppable award pin, the MP3 cards, and includes tips on writing and publishing one's comments. Hope it helps.
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