Crayola crayons. The pinnacle of every child's drawing experience. (Especially the box with the built in sharpener!) I remember back in first grade when I would have time to draw and would be loving it! I loved the fact that I could place color onto a page and create something, which I thought to be, a masterpiece. Even if it was only a "color inside the lines" picture. Which by the way i could never quite do well until conformity of art hit me in about fourth or fifth grade. The fact remains, however, that for quite a while in the early stages of my "low cal." art career, everything I made was a masterpiece. I was Michelangelo, well more like a Picasso, but the heart was still there. That heart that says, "Wow, would ya look at that! I didn't know i had it in me. I must be something special." And it is in those moments when a boy needs to be affirmed; no matter what his work looks like. Moments where one can either affirm him as something worthy and able for the road of manhood that lies ahead, or can wound his heart to the point where he loses his very sense of identity.
Guys need to be affirmed by others to let them know that they have what it takes to get the job done. They need to know that they have something to give which not only benefits others but makes them feel as if they belong. Guys are longing for someone to answer the question of their hearts; "Am I a man? Can i really do this?" If a boy does not get that assurance from someone while he is in his youth, particularly his father or a dominant male figure, then by the time he is a "man" he will have created a persona that is contrary to the powerful person he was originally created to be. Too many adults have not matured because of this. Far too many men have been hurt and don't quite know how or why. A piece of the puzzle is missing and they can't quite grasp what is is. Even more tragic, they can't quite grasp who they are. A total loss of identity. A facade of knowledgeable ambiguity.
It's high time we take back our hearts men! It's about time that we become child artists again. I for one refuse to stand by and grow sick in my despair. I refuse to be taken by anything other than the life i am promised. I fight not for victory, but from it!!! We are God's creation. We are worth more than what we've been told. We are alive in Christ! WE ARE MEN!!!
Thanks for reading,
Carlton
Very direct post Carlton, and very encouraging. The need to be told we have it in us is much bigger than any of us could possibly imagine. (And yes, you've got what it takes!)
ReplyDeleteThis is really good Carlton. I am impressed with how earnest your writing is. I hope to read many more posts in the future. You've inspired me.
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