Men,
I watched a highlights package of the match between the All Blacks and Samoa last night. Granted it was just a highlights package but I was pretty disappointed with the game. I don’t recall having any obvious expectations before the game started but my subconscious must have established some sort of standard, maybe because it was the All Blacks, the flagship team of world rugby playing. Was I expecting more entertaining rugby, or was it a slicker set of skills, or maybe I was hoping to see a hint of what we could expect from them at World Cup time? Whatever it might have been it did not materialise. I was disappointed and probably a little let down that the game did not meet my expectations.
You probably are wondering how this story is going to relate to a normal men of valour email? So let me start with this question; how are things going spiritually? Are you feeling a little disappointed, maybe let down that nothing more has happened in your walk with Christ? Maybe you were hoping for a breakthrough and it has not materialised, maybe you didn’t have any obvious or defined expectations but you just expected something more by now and it just hasn’t happened.
Your disappointment may have caused you to relax on some of your spiritual disciplines, disciplines that you engaged in enthusiastically during this season of hope. You picking up some of those old habits, habits you decided to drop believing they weren’t suitable for your new devoted walk with Christ. This period where you anticipated much fruit has in reality become somewhat of a famine and so “practises” that you believed would stimulate this new exciting, significant walk has amounted to nothing and so you abandoning them now.
Men, this is not the time to question your persistence in “No Man’s Land” or to lose hope in your final outcome thereof. This is not the time to question the validity of your call, your dream. In this “No Man’s Land” where going forward is looking just as bleak as where you were a number of months ago before you embarked on this new journey, is not the time to be making decisions alone. The temptation here to make your own plan, to rescue the situation will just drive you into a shadow mission conflicting with what Christ has called you to. You need to get back into fellowship with men, champions who believe in your dreams with you, men who can mentor you through this “no man’s land”. This is not the time to break away from your support team.
In support of the above paragraph let me go back to the All Black game for a moment. In discussion with a friend of mine about the game it provided a more real context for me, helping me to have a better perspective. I was able to note that the Super XV had set my level of expectation, an entertainment level of play that I expected the All Blacks to play. But, this was a test match, the first run for the All Black team and largely without their Super XV finalist players. This Test was a warm up game to remove rust and to begin preparations and test depth for the World Cup. I now had perspective. In this season you need to get a different perspective and this is best achieved meeting with other men, discussing your perspectives of where you are and where you had hoped to be.
Gentlemen, if you believe in your innermost being that you were made to be part of something significant, you are not wrong!!! To walk in our calling, a “trust” from Christ, we have to be found faithful, persevering and trustworthy of our call as expressed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:2 “2 Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].”
Don’t give up! This is why God needs a special breed of man. A man who will remain faithful to Him, to the disciplines He has called him to for there is a time set aside for that faithful man, to partner with God in advancing His kingdom. Are you that man?
I leave you with one final word from Paul from 1 Corinthians 16:13
“13 Be alert and on your guard; stand firm in your faith (your conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, keeping the trust and holy fervor born of faith and a part of it). Act like men and be courageous; grow in strength!”
Advancing His Kingdom with you,
Gavin Janssens