Building Boys

Psalms 71:17 Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

“Building boys,” the words on a church marquee read, “ is easier than repairing men.” The old sign, and it’s message, were hidden in a small town off the beaten path where few will read the truth of its message. Isn’t it curious that some of the best advice shows up in the least likely places?

      But the truth of that old sign remains; the men of the next generation may be well ill-equipped to deal with the issues that will most certainly face them. Competition, it seems, has been dis-allowed in many areas, because the self image of the one who loses might suffer a bit of damage. Excellence has been brought to a level playing field so our children will all feel equal and their egos turned to a paler shade of pink.

But little boys need cuts and bruises and scrapes and scratches. There must be a broken bone along the way, and bandages are as much a part of growing up as are bicycles and dogs. The bone will mend stronger, the cut scab over, and the memory of the scrapes will keep us from making that mistake again.

Like little boys, the Christian life is stronger because of the bumps we encounter along the road. The faith that has not been tested has not been proven. Growing up is, in fact, often very painful, but the lesson and the love that follow the skirmishes are well worth the moments suffering.

  If men alone are given the task of building boys, then they will merely clone themselves, along with all their faults and weaknesses. But If God, the master creator, is involved in the process, then fresh breath and spirit is molded into each finished product.

God knows how to build men from boys, and the best playgrounds of life are not padded or protected. He who guides our growing both kneels beside the child and stands before the warrior.

Is there a young life nearby that you have been given responsibility for? Ask for help; the task is certainly beyond your abilities, but our heavenly Father, who has long been in the boy building business, stands by to help.