Living with Men

A Snippet from our Book: Messed Up Men of the Bible; Seeing the Men in Your Life Through God's Eyes.

Dave says:

"A steel rod is stronger than a wooden stick. The stick is no less authentic than the rod; it just has a different kind of authenticity. The stick has the authenticity of wood while the rod has the authenticity of steel. But what if the stick tried to pose as a steel rod? The stick would be pretending to be something it is not. It does not have the same strength or qualities as steel and will not hold up under the same pressures.

Now let’s look at the man in your life. If your messed up man tries to pose as something other than what he is, he lacks authenticity. Perhaps the man you believed to be steel has broken or is breaking under pressures that a wooden stick cannot possibly support. Peter experienced brokenness when his words shifted from a faith-filled confession to fear-filled caution. He was again broken when Paul confronted his shift in something as simple as food and drink. Is your man less than or other than who he says he is? Are there honesty issues in his life?

Here’s the good news: your messed up man is in the company of a great many biblical heroes, including Peter. You may have experienced the consequences of leaning on a stick that couldn’t support you the way you expected. The truth is, no human can ever support you fully. Only God can have that place in your life."

(Kregel Publications/ www.kregel.com)

Tina Says:

Ladies, living with messed up men can take a toll on our emotional and physical well being. Here's a few tips that might help:

1. We cannot fix the messed up men in our life - only God can do that.

2. We cannot walk with men unless they choose to allow us to do so.

3. Personalizing everything they do means we're picking up their trash bags (we all have stuff we carry around) and carrying them around with us. It weighs us down.

4. Make your home a safe place for them to come.

5. Pray and allow God to work in their lives

6. Speak the truth in love

7. Though it may be difficult, find the good things in them and express those openly

8. Remember the men God created as good and worthy are still there - focusing on sin crowds our vision.

9. Embrace with Grace - express love even when you don't feel like it.

10. Show respect, care when you can, and wait upon God to work in their life . . . and yours.

God can change the messed up man. God can use these men to acheive amazing feats.