1 Corinthians 13:11 tells us, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” Unfortunately, many people never accept this and refuse to grow up and accept the responsibilities that come with being an adult. It is mistakenly believed that not being responsible is easier than being accountable. This mistake many times keeps people from finding their true purpose and holds them back from finding true happiness. It is a sad situation that in today’s society we have a great number of people that would rather accept welfare and live off the government than to accept the responsibilities of being a productive adult. Many of these folks have been indoctrinated into believing that living in government housing, receiving food stamps, and being dependent upon the government is the best way to live. They believe this because they are the third, fourth, and fifth-generation to grow up in the government projects. 2 Corinthians 9:6 states “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” It is our responsibility being a real “Man” to help these people to learn to sow bountifully and help them to find a way out of this economic slavery and to find their purpose so they too can be happy and productive. It is also our responsibility to help these individuals to become a “Man” as opposed to being men. Which means we will have to educate and train people to overcome their current circumstances. We will not be successful in every case but if we can help just one person it will be well worth our efforts. By helping others, we are actually helping ourselves. And helping ourselves in a positive way gets us closer to being the “Man” we want to be, “Being a real man requires constant improvement of the self. When I say a real man, I mean a man that does his best to come as close as possible to the concept of a perfect man. Ancient philosophers had an obsession with perfection. They understood that reaching it is impossible and out of reach for human beings because human beings are inherently flawed creatures. Nevertheless, they believed that working towards this perfection is the only pursuit worth following in life — and they couldn’t be more right.” (Hudson, 2014)
The responsibilities of a “Man” never ends. Being completely responsible requires the “Man” to be mindful, aware of his surroundings, and ready to react all the time. A “Man” has to be a part of his community, he must be productive and positive at work, he must assist and aid people less fortunate, and he must take care of his family to list just a few. Romans 12:3-13 talks about community saying, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving;” The body (community) has many members and each will have a different ability, a different attitude, and a different idea on how things should be. This places more challenges on the “Men” in the community to coordinate and guide the group in a positive way. “Many of society’s problems come because some individuals and families do not live honest and moral lives, or do not work to support themselves. Before we can be of service to our community or nation, we must live honest and good lives ourselves. We must first take care of ourselves and our own families and try to overcome any problems that affect us.” (Staff, The Church Of Jesus Christ LDS, 2018) If we are not taking care of our families we will not be successful operating in the community, at work, or anywhere else. 1 Timothy 5:8 reminds us, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” So, we quickly see that to be a “Man” we have to accept the responsibilities that concern our families. We must take care of the wife, our children, and our relative in a Godly fashion and then and only then can we expect to be successful at work and in the community.
Marianne Williamson, an American author, lecturer, and activist, is credited as saying, “You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think. The truth is that you are responsible for what you think because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think.” If you think positive thoughts and believe what you think you will be a positive person and all people and things around you will benefit. We want to be successful and we want to influence others to be successful. To do this we have to exhibit a positive attitude and show people how to achieve the objective desired. Many times, we have to accept the responsibilities that we do not want, but we cannot pick and choose. As a “Man” we take on the unwanted responsibility and attack it as a new challenge. Remember people are watching your actions, you are setting an example, and they will remember that you did not run from responsibility. Jim Rohn, America’s foremost business philosopher, is quoted as saying, “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.” Hopefully, your action will encourage someone to step up and Man-Up at some point in the future. Being a Christian and being a “Man” means you are a role model for everyone that you come in contact with, your family, and especially your children. We all want to be successful, respected, and well thought of by our families and peers. Being a responsible person will guarantee a certain amount of success and respect. Sir Winston Churchill recognized this fact when he said “The price of greatness is responsibility.