CCT 28-1_LR

There are millions of us. We carry around leftover pain from childhood wounds. This unprocessed pain causes us to act out in ways that damage our relationships. We are easily offended, fragile, lash out, or withdraw. We are baffled by our behavior and unsure of what normal male behavior looks like. The collateral damage to our wives and children is staggering. Helping men like this reclaim masculinity is a massively big idea—one of the great redemptive opportunities of our time. And no one has more influ ence with these men than today’s caregivers. You are the “community of care” God has called to instruct, encourage, correct, challenge, and inspire men toward authentic manhood. You see men not for what they are but for who Every young man eventually faces this primal, foundational question: Who am I, and what is my life about? These are the issues of identity, meaning, and pur pose. The divine order is for parents to help their sons answer these questions with a cocktail of love, structure, roots, and wings—the essentials of positive parenting. Pastors, teachers, coaches, and community leaders have guided boys for generations. Elders transferred their wisdom and values through shared meals, rites of passage, sports, and discipleship. Young men were taught to be loving husbands, fathers, protectors, providers, and leaders. They watched the men they admired live out virtues such as courage, humility, and kindness. However, answering this lofty question has become increasingly difficult in today’s culture. Many young men grow up without fathers or spiritual men tors, left to navigate identity and purpose alone. Many older men would like to help, but not enough to give up their “tee times.” Young men often turn to the wrong sources for guidance. The “manosphere”—blogs, podcasts, forums, and influencers—offers distorted advice. While some promote personal improve ment, much of the content feeds anger, frustration, and cultural confusion, perpetuating brokenness. Reclaiming masculinity requires addressing past pain, healing wounds, and rediscovering a God-centered vision of manhood. Let’s look at two ways that can happen. they can become. You give them hope. Masculinity Begins with a Question

Young men often turn to the wrong sources for guidance. The “manosphere”—blogs, podcasts, forums, and influencers—offers distorted advice. While some promote personal improvement, much of the content feeds anger, frustration, and cultural confusion, perpetuating brokenness.

PATRICK MORLEY

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christian counseling today VOL. 28 NO. 1