I have joined a new small group that formed for the next 10 weeks to do the Beth Moore study "A Heart Like His" This is one of her older video/study series that she did probably in the 80's as far as the hair-do's would tell...heh...Makes me wonder what we'll think of our fashions now in 20 years...skeery...
This week I did my first week of the study...now for a bit of history...I have done quite a few BM studies...NEVER have I completed one where I've done EVERY day's homework and made EVERY video presentation...THAT is my goal for this summer. This past week started out rough, but Tuesday night I had nothing going on and finished up my study by doing 3 days in one night..heh..that's one way to get it done, right??? I found myself wishing I hadn't done that last night though b/c I would have liked to have had one to do...this study is actually REALLY good...
I love finding new things in Scripture. This study is about David. I have always loved the story of David and how much depth the Bible goes to in order to share his remarkable testimony, but through this week's study I learned some things that I may have KNOWN before but never really paid attention to.
David was a simple boy. A shepherd. No education. No training. He was an artist. He was a warrior. One thing BM said in her study really struck me. Her brother is an accomplished musician who makes a living through conducting and composing music. When he was growing up he had to choose whether he wanted to play basketball in middle school or play in the band. To avoid the teasing he chose basketball. Now, he makes a living with his music. He works with many homosexuals. She posed the question of whether or not sensitive men are pushed into homosexuality because our culture does not see men as being able to be both sensitive and warrioresque at the same time. What an interesting view point. How many times have I looked at someone and just because they seemed tender I assumed they were gay?
David was seen as being both sensitive and artistic through his gentle harp playing (he soothed Saul with his music) and being a strong, warrior and being brave.
Being a mother of boys this has been a profound aha moment for me...Being in this society has made it difficult to raise boys ANYWAY. Now I have the challenge of allowing them to be sensitive and creative as well as being strong and brave. This makes me pose the question what IS masculinity?? I think God has given us a great example in David as to what exactly masculinity is: sensitivity, bravery, hormones (heh), anger, friendship, leadership, ability, agility, etc.
If you like, please leave a comment with what you feel masculinity is about. I look forward to posting more about what I learn through this study. Thanks for reading!! :)
1 comment:
You know...this should be easier to answer than I'm making it...because the thing that I think is masculine about a man is something of a good quality a woman can also possess. It's fierceness in the face of personal fear. I think that lacking this leads to weak marriages, abandoned families, poor budgeting, abuse, addictions and compromise (and not the good kind). I think also it causes people to settle for less. OK...so an example of this with David would be standing against Goliath. That would be a Duh example. But I think that David's behavior with Saul (respect but not forgeting what was what and acting upon it) is a good example. I think the lack of it (or rather, his relying on past obedience to it rather than possessing it in the "here and now") in his character, however (because I think he settled/compromised) showed terribly in his family life. I think Jonathan (sp?) is the character that shows this most of all, however. The friendship and loyalty he displayed, without dishonoring his father was an extreem amount of fierceness in what had to be a hard time for him. I think that the way he handled himself was very masculine.
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