My heart is all a-flutter today… I am SO excited about this post… AND I DIDN’T EVEN WRITE IT! That’s right, after over two years of me writing and blogging, my Beloved Husband has blessed and honored me with guest posting. (BE STILL MY HEART!) His sincerity and love of Christ is sure to inspire you (and the other men in your lives… Be sure to share it with them.)
Oh. And be sure to leave lots and lots of comments below so Barn will know how awesome this article is… (And so he will write again soon.)
Get ready to enter into the Jesus Testosterone Zone. 🙂
SGK
****
Hey folks, I’m Brandon (Sharita’s husband) and I’m guest blogging for my wife today. I’ll be talking to you about what being a man, husband and father for Christ is like for me. When Sharita asked (told?) me to guest blog for her, I had no idea what to write about that wouldn’t totally disrupt/turn away her current readers and followers. So I stuck with what I knew and picked a subject that is a big factor in my life at this time.
Let’s begin with the basics- being a man for Christ. I feel this starts with salvation, as this is the foundation of any Christian. Nothing worth any value will ever come out of my relationship with my wife and daughter or other roles I am called to serve if I don’t have Christ as my foundation. “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” ~Matthew 7:25
My walk with Christ began many years ago and continues today. When I have an active relationship with God on a daily basis, it helps me to center my life on him. Now, everything I do is for God instead of me. My family and job feed off of this unmoving relationship with God. When I put Christ as a priority, I am much less distracted by the things of this world.
If I trust in myself, life will fail to reach its fullest potential. So to all you men out there who feel your relationship with your family or friends could be better, you need to start with your own relationship with God. All other problems in your life will be much more manageable with Jesus’ help and guidance. It takes patience and discipline, but the outcome is worth it.
My second major role in life is being a husband for Christ. There is plenty of scripture in the Bible that can be referenced for this task. “Well,” you say, “I’ll just do what it says and I should be ok.” Ha. If you’ve been married for over 3 seconds you know it isn’t that easy. Just like being a man for Christ, it takes patience and lots of practice. Again, it starts with your own relationship with God. If my relationship with God isn’t solid, how can I be the spiritual leader in my house?
Being the spiritual leader will look different in every marriage. In our marriage, my wife has a master’s degree in Christian Leadership and is a certified Spiritual Leadership Coach. Sounds intimidating right? Well, it is, but it’s not about who has the most experience or who has been a Christian longer in the relationship that makes them “in charge.”
Sharita will frequently remind me that I’m not in charge of her 🙂 Instead, I’m in charge of the spiritual well-being of our marriage. It’s about being an example, a leader, and a mentor for our wives. We need to be that rock for her, that presence in marriage that never falters or gives up. The one who brings her back to Christ– every time. We need to be like Christ, just as it says in Ephesians 5:25~ “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” Remember, Christ was beaten, forsaken by loved ones, took every sin that was committed then now and to come. He gave his life for us! Let’s ask ourselves how we as men can emulate Christ like this in marriage. I encourage you to pray for the Lord to show you how to specifically do this. Oh… And guys… Don’t ever tell your wife you’re in charge. 🙂
Finally, my newest role: being father for Christ. This takes much patience as I have already learned with our 5-month-old daughter. Patience. I seem to use that word a lot, don’t I? (I keep telling Sharita we should have named our daughter Patience, so every time I spoke/yelled her name I would be reminded that being a parent takes patience. Maybe our next kid?) I try to look at my daughter like God would look at me. Specifically by loving her, teaching her and forgiving her like God does for me. God forgives us, his chosen people and also gives us many chances when we screw up. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” ~Colossians 3:13 (Somebody please remind me of this post when Charis is a teenager, ok?)
I will always keep my relationship with God foremost in everything I do. I pray that all you men of God out there do the same. Why? Because this side of heaven, there is nothing more fulfilling as being a man, husband, and father… for Christ.
Prayers and Blessings,
Brandon
PS: Please note that Sharita edited this post for grammar because I write so goodly. 🙂
