We’ve forgotten what it means for a boy to become a man.
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It’s true, these good times have created soft, weak versions of a man. L
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In ancient times, a boy would be sent into the woods with a knife and a spear…
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“Come back with a pelt. If you do not, you’re of no use to us on the front lines of battle.”
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Yes, we’ve since evolved.
But men are still men at their core…
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Most have never learned what it is to tap into the chaos of their mind, the animal inside them, to let it loose and to then learn to control it.
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We love to talk of a soft spirituality and a weak Jesus, lest we forget it was Jesus who said, “I do not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
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Today, I watched my son let the Lion out of the cage and for 7 hours straight, continue to step on to a mat and leave behind every propensity to quit.
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I watched as blood hit the floor, considering he may choose to let the pain win, which would have been ok.
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But he didn’t. He didn’t stop until he was stopped.
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No tears.
No excuses.
No desire to quit.
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“Fix it. I’m not done.”
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The bleeding was stopped. He kept going.
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He left it all on the mat; every ounce of energy.
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He lost.
But he won.
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He knew he’d given everything.
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“Losing is learning. What’s the lesson, dad? Did mom film it? Show me.”
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And she did. She always records, and she always reviews it with him, as does his bonus dad… as do I.
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We are raising a man.
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He is tender.
He is loving.
He is funny.
He is smart.
He is kind.
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But don’t you dare mistake that kindness for weakness.
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We are raising a warrior.
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And today, he experienced the potential of his power.
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We all did.
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“I’m a redwood in training,” he kept declaring.
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4th place in an age division above him,
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But in the game he will play and the war he will wage to become the man he’s called to be, he’s the champion.
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Cheers to raising men.