My brothers and a couple friends joke regularly about what “real men” are supposed to be like. This usually involves a lot of grunting, flexing, showing off one’s “guns” and tough talk. It’s pretty funny and I laugh right along with them but I like to think that REAL men are more than a superficial show of dominance and ego.

I originally posted the following highly-controversial note on facebook a couple years ago.  The long list of comments made afterwards by outraged young men of my acquaintance struck me again with what I had always questioned; do true gentlemen exist?! I believe they do but they are very rare.  As young people of any moral and spiritual depth, we can start to lose hope when Godly examples are non-existent or we have no high standard to look to or reach for.

I am SO proud of the guys I know that are “real men;” my dad is at the top of that short list. Ladies, this is DEFINITELY what to look for; gentlemen, we’re calling you out!

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Every now and then I can’t help but wonder…

Where are the men? The real men.

…the men who are strong, stable, and confident because they stand on Biblical ideals and follow Jesus Christ

…the strong leaders

…the committed fathers, husbands, and sons

…the men who rise up in defense of modesty, purity, and innocence

…the men who don’t put their personal needs and desires above the needs and desires of others

…the men who know that the word “passion” doesn’t denote extreme lust or sex

…the men who stand with conviction because they know what’s right and want to defend it with their lives

…the men who refuse to look at pornography and are disgusted that it even exists

…the men who are physically, verbally, and spiritually dedicated to doing everything in their power to protect the purity of the innocent instead of robbing it with their thoughts, words, or actions

…the men who are gentle

…the honorable men who keep their word

…the providers who give continually out of a generous heart

…the men who show selfless love rather than grasping for whatever they can get

… the men who humbly and respectfully receive council when they fail

… the men who are willing to be challenged because it helps them grow

…the men who care about appearance, not because of vanity or pride but because mankind looks at the outward appearance and they want to impact mankind

…men who are straight-forward, honest, hard-working, abounding in hope, driven by conviction, that have a burning passion for doing what’s right despite opposition.

Real men.

::Edit::

We always want to be careful to lift up a Godly standard whether or not it’s considered popular, “tolerant,” or has the potential to make someone feel good or bad about themselves.  For the record, no one can ever live up to this list. If he did, he’d be perfect. (And who wants a perfect man? Seriously. How real could he be then?) However, a man of character and depth would at least strive for these things just like any woman with a desire for what’s on God’s heart would try her best to be as much like the woman in Proverbs 31 as she could be. The bar has been low for long enough. It’s time to hold up values based on absolute, unbending truth.