The Measure of a Man

I must say that the idea of manhood has been on my mind a lot for many different reasons.
One reason would be the over usage of the term "perfect man" that has popped up in many notes on Facebook and in responses to those notes.
The second reason is that the recent lose of my mother has forced me to take a look at the man that is my father.
And the third would be the Bible, and how it relates to me as a man, and how it seems to play a very small part in the search for a man (if it plays any part at all).

First let me start by saying, there has only been one perfect man to ever live and He wasn't married. This would seem to indicate that the odds of finding a perfect man are very slim.

To the notes on Facebook I would respond: While many of the qualities that were mentioned within the notes were good, all of those qualities could be grouped into what one could call a Christian man. I must say that the characteristics that frustrated me in the notes would be the physical ones. Those characteristics are the most changeable ones and yet they seem to receive the most attention in relationships or in the search for those relationships. Look for those who have the less than perfect smile, or maybe don't walk so good, or can't see two feet in front of them. Those people have most likely seen a few battles in their day and may have something to offer that requires you to look deeper to find.

On to the second reason: The recent loss of my mother has caused me to focus on things regarding relationships and so much more. I had the honor and pleasure to watch a man care for and deal with the loss of his wife. I had an opportunity to look at old pictures of the family (man...at one time I was one hot dude). I noticed a picture of my mom that just blew me away. She was beautiful! She was 23 or something at the time of the picture. She looked good! Over the years, life happened; work, motherhood, and illness changed her outward appearance, but all the while it was making her heart all the more beautiful. This was the picture my dad saw, and I did too, but not to the degree he did. To him she was still that 23 year old beauty that we only now see in pictures. To him she was and is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Whether it is the picture of physical beauty, or the picture that raised three children and fought and beat cancer for 11 years.

Why did I say all of this about my mom? I am talking about men right? Yes!

If you are looking for a man, find one that looks at you the same way all the time, and is still blown away by you even while you have the needle of an I.V. in your arm receiving your weekly treatment. May you look for that man that prefers the no-hair look to a wig that just isn't you.

The third part of my thought, and certainly not the least, is the Bible. An entire chapter is devoted to the search for a Godly woman in Proverbs 31; however, I can find no complement in the Bible in regards to finding a Godly man. The only example I can find is Jesus. When you look for a man, look for Jesus.

Don't look for perfection in a man because that is something you will never find. Instead, look for a man that is being perfected by Christ. He may not say the right thing all the time and he may even forget your birthday. He probably won't look the best either. But through the years you will find you didn't marry the best, you married someone who is being perfected by the best.