“As men, we’ve got this power that God put in us and we need to focus it so we get a lot done in our lifetime. But it’s really easy to get it out of focus; we live in a world that’s constantly trying to distract us.”
When men step into their identity and true strength, the world is changed for good. When they waste their passion, their lives become a mess.
Bill Farrel shares a story to illustrate his point. When traveling to Germany he stayed with a military man. Bill noticed the man had a mini Cooper sitting in the driveway and was itching for a ride. The man’s eighteen-year-old offered to take Bill out for a drive later that night. As they were cruising down the highway, at a jarring 130 miles per hour, two Porsches blew past their car.
“Two Porsches passed us like we were standing still and my first reaction was, ‘I want to be in that Porsche. That’s the real ride over there.’”
A short time later, they passed one of the Porsches. But to Bill’s shock, the car was crushed beyond recognition, the result of a horrific wreck.
“The guy who was driving the car apparently lost respect for the power that he had.”
In that moment, Bill realized that’s what many men become when they misuse their strength. When they become distracted by media, entertainment, pornography, or hobbies, things go badly. Instead of using their strength to protect the vulnerable, cultivate life, and walk closely with God, they waste their time and run their energy into the ground.
“It’s really easy to get this passion distracted. And what should be a powerful life turns out to be this big accident, and this flaming heap of potential.”
Men can accept the fact that their passion is a gift and God wants to use it. But they can’t do it in isolation; intentional community is important in the maturing process. Bill urges men to join in community in their local church, because, simply put, men make other men better.
“Most men I know can’t do that alone. They need to have two or three trusted friends in their life. You don’t want to just open up to every guy because there’s a bunch of knuckleheads out there.”
Key Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 3:9-11
Featured Songs: The River by Jordan Feliz; Warrior by Steven Curtis Chapman; Courageous by Casting Crowns
