“Man up.”
I heard this expression the other day. “He needs to man up.”
It has stuck with me ever since.
It essentially means, “Be brave. Be tough. Stop crying. Suck it up. Don’t show weakness. You need to do this even if you don’t want to…”
Why? Because you’re a man.
Don’t get me wrong, I think both men and women need be brave and do hard things sometimes.
But this term is often used to tell a boy or man that He isn’t “manly” enough. His emotions are too much, or He is being too sensitive.
As a mama of a boy who is very in tune with emotion, who is sensitive and kind, I hate the idea that our culture might tear Him apart for it.
When it comes to how I hope my son “is”… I hope that he aspires to be like Jesus.
Jesus, our kind and perfectly loving Savior. A man who was absolutely sensitive to other’s needs. A man who was in tune with His own emotion and allowed Himself to feel.
A man who was also of incredible strength, who was courageous, and who had His eyes set on the Father. A man who could do anything, yet was humble and brave enough to do what He needed for the sake of others.
He wasn’t aggressive or cruel, He was gentle with a servant‘s heart.
My son will never be perfect like Jesus, but gosh I hope he will live to be more like Him than the person our culture will want him to be.
When my son hears the term “man up” I hope he’ll think of his Savior, the one who healed the sick and loved the outcasts. The one who sat with the hurting and was a source of hope. The one who showed compassion and kindness.
The one who did the brave and hard thing, not to be “manly” but because He was so full of forgiveness and love.
If my son is to “man up”, I pray he will picture the man up on the cross who died for us, who loved us unconditionally, and who lived out God’s purpose for Him.
~Kelli Bachara, The Unraveling Blog