I know…I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, “What in the world is he writing about this week?” So men, is it time to quit?
The Morning Dread
Stumbling out of bed after my bride has literally forced me to wake up, I make my way to the bathroom. For the past twenty-four years, I have literally pinched myself to confirm that I am not dreaming. I do this every morning because I still cannot believe I am married to such a wonderful helpmate.
After splashing cold water on my face, and talking my depressed and anxiety-driven self into being a functioning adult, I go to my home office. As a manager, I have a great team. My team is comprised of an outstanding group of individuals; all of whom are very competent software support engineers. We work for a large database and software application company. One person from the team specifically checks in on me every day. He sends me a message in Slack, “Hello Jackie… How are you feeling today?”. He knows of my struggle with depression and anxiety; and though he is a subordinate, I consider him to be a very true friend.
Is It Time To Quit Like Men?
After making my way into the home office, I spend the next forty-five minutes in bible study. In my quiet time the past few weeks, I have been reading and studying Paul’s first epistle to the church at Corinth.
During Paul’s second missionary trip, he had made a stop in Corinth where many of the Gentiles there became believers. At the time of writing his letter, the Corinthian church was still very young. Even before Paul’s missionary trip, this major seaport city – plunged deeply into pagan worship and idolatry – was full of debauchery and moral decay. Sometime after leaving the city, Paul heard that the believers had begun to falter; experiencing infighting amongst the leaders in the church. This dissent had become complicated by a return of the sexual immorality; something which had plagued them before their conversion to Christianity. Moreover, there was great confusion on how to handle (church discipline) such behaviors within the church.
While wrapping up my study of First Corinthians, I found myself pondering one particular verse. From the King James Version (KJV), the verse appears as :
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. - 1 Corinthians 16:13
I must have spent an hour digging into this one verse; trying to discover what Paul meant with the words “quit you like men“. Thinking about the context and Paul’s admonishment of the church in Corinth, I was failing to understand why Paul would tell them to quit. After reading through a few translations, such as HCSB and NASB, I came to know that the wording in KJV is archaic in this verse. Having been published in 1611, the Greek word ἀνδρίζεσθε (andrizesthe) was translated at the time to be quit you like men. A more modern English translation of this verb would be to act like men, or as in the Holman Christian Standard Bible :
Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong. - 1 Corinthians 16:13 (HCSB)
Time to Man Up
Isn’t it past time already for us men to man up and be the husband’s that God intended us to be? Afterall, we are commanded to love our wife just a Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5:25), right? With the coming holiday season, let’s make a promise to ourself to be a better Christ follower, a better husband, and a better father – in that order. So in the comments below, let’s here your thoughts. Are you making the promise?
Tammy wanted me to design a shirt for her. I am sure you have seen the “Blessed By God, Spoiled by my Husband” shirts online and elsewhere. Today’s design is my rendention of the same. So ladies, check out this link where you can purchase one for yourself.
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If you made it this far, please consider commenting below, subscribing, and also sharing on your social media sites. Most importantly, please pray. I write this blog as another outlet for me but also I hope something I say may help others. If you would like to help with my battle against depression, check out my online stores and my affiliate links. A vast majority of proceeds are donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.