25 Message of the Wounded Heart #2

The Goal

Your goal is simple, but frightening: to uncover your wound.  You need to see how you’ve been wounded, understand where the wound came from, and how it has shaped the way you’ve lived every day of your life—right up to this moment today.

A father is the cornerstone of a child’s life.  It would be hard to overstate the importance of a father.

MASCULINITY  is bestowed.  A boy learns who he is and what he’s got from a man, or the company of men.  He cannot learn it any other place.  He cannot learn it from other boys, and he cannot learn it from the world of women.  His father needs to lay the foundation for a young boy’s heart, and pass on to him that essential knowledge and confidence in his strength.

A boy will turn to his mother for comfort.

But he turns to Dad for adventure, for the chance to test his strength, and to get the answer to his question:  “Do I have what it takes?”

For a dad to nurture the heart of his son on his epic journey through boyhood, he must clearly understand where his concept of masculinity comes from.  A father must ask himself, Where did I learn what it takes to be a ‘real man’?

Have you, your boyfriend or husband been taught what a ‘real man’ is?

Boys needs his father to set an example of how to be in relationship.  Sons need a picture of what it looks like to be a husband, a father, a friend, employee, and a leader.

Boys learn their earliest lessons about tenderness, mercy, care, and love from their mothers.

A solid and affectionate relationship with a boy’s mother gives a boy the platform of emotional intimacy, relational empathy, and sensitivity he needs to develop mature and secure relationships as an adult.

Even more, a boy’s relationship with his mother is largely responsible for shaping his view of femininity.  Will he respect women?  Will he honor them?  Will he use his strength for their good?  Will he be able and willing to share his tenderness with them?  A mother is an influential guide when it comes to teaching a boy about women…and about his own masculinity, too.