The Mark of a Man

Michael and I in 2006 at a wedding.



I was 6 months old when my soon-to-be husband was born--and no, I do not consider that "robbing the cradle." Fifteen years later, we met for the first time. Three years following that, we began dating; four years and a few breakups later, we got married! Just last Monday, we celebrated Michael's 24th birthday, the second birthday since we've been married. My family and I surprised him with cornhole boards--our dear friends Karl and Lydia handmade the beanbags for him. Thank you so much, Mitchells! We are so thankful for your friendship and can't thank you enough for being such wonderful fellowship :)

The reason for my post is not to enumerate each of Michael's gifts, or to highlight the day's events--in all honesty, a lot of our day was spent "studying"--he for his CFP exam, and me for... well, my job. Instead, let me regale you with glowing compliments of my husband! :-)

We live in a world that encourages women to take offense at chivalry and men to allow women to take offense. We live in a world that embraces meek, passive, or arrogant men--men who are more concerned with the way they look than the virtue they either lack or possess. Where are all the TRUE MEN?

In Elisabeth Elliot's book The Mark of a Man, she provides great perspective to her nephew Pete on true masculinity. It is interesting to read each quote in light of today's men.

"The world cries for men who are strong--strong in conviction, strong to lead, to stand, to suffer. I pray that you will be that kind of man."

"A leader is a man who does not groan under burdens, but takes them as a matter of course, allows them, tolerates them--and with a dash of humor. He knows how to keep his mouth shut about his difficulties and how to live a day at a time, doing quietly what needs doing at the moment. People will follow that sort of man."

"God's man takes the initiative, as he was meant to do, but he is not aggressive. He is strong, but not ruthless; sure, but not swaggering; hard, if need be, but not cruel."

"You expect her to be a real woman, but you can't expect that if you're not a real man. It is in response to the fullest expression of your manliness that she will be most womanly."

These are other quotes that do justice to the idea of true masculinity:

“To be a man, you must care about women. And you must care about them in the right way. You must care about them as creatures worthy of protection, honor, and love. This means genuinely appreciating them for their uniqueness as women. It means recognizing the preciousness of femininity over glamour, of homemaking over careerism, and of mature motherhood over perpetual youth."
-unknown

"He is most the man who can always govern himself. He who cannot is, to that extent, an imbecile.”
-R.L. Dabney


Since being married to Michael, I have come to truly appreciate how important true masculinity is. He is a man of honor and respect, and those concepts have become much more clear to me since we've been married. While many men our age have little responsibility, Michael has embraced all of the responsibilities he's been given, and he does each of those with joy (although I can't say he's never grumbled about mowing the lawn). He pays the mortgage, knows when our credit card bill is due, tends to our yard, and completes most of the home improvement projects on his own. He is joyful even in the mundane. He understands that his calling is to be a faithful husband to me, a faithful worker to his boss, and a faithful worshipper to God.

And he is ONE FUN MAN to be married to! Happy Birthday, Michael!