Be Dangerous for Good

Many of you know I get "daily readings" from Ransomed Heart Ministries, started by John Eldredge, the author of Wild At Heart...a book that deeply impacted Scott and I's life, and many many other men, and women for that matter. If you want a deeper understanding of the God-given heart of a man, and of a boy, you need to read this book. Likewise, if you want a deeper understanding of a woman's heart, of your daughters heart, you need to read Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. While it's great to come up with original thoughts for our blogs each week, there are many times I just can't ignore certain ways in which God reveals things to me, and this week I have a "daily reading" to share with you. It's an exerpt from Wild At Heart.

Emasculation happens in marriage as well. Women are often attracted to the wilder side of a man, but once having caught him they settle down to the task of domesticating him. Ironically, if he gives in he'll resent her for it, and she in turn will wonder where the passion has gone. Most marriages wind up there.

A weary and lonely woman asked me the other day, "How do I get my husband to come alive?" "Invite him to be dangerous," I said. "You mean, I should let him get the motorcycle, right?" "Yep." She shrank back, disappointment on her face. "I know you're right, but I hate the idea. I've made him tame for years."

Think back to that great big lion in that tiny cage. Why would we put a man in a cage? For the same reason we put a lion there. For the same reason we put God there: he's dangerous. To paraphrase Dorothy Sayers, we've also pared the claws of the Lion Cub of Judah. A man is a dangerous thing. Women don't start wars. Violent crimes aren't for the most part committed by women. Our prisons aren't filled with women. Columbine wasn't the work of two young girls. Obviously, something has gone wrong in the masculine soul, and the way we've decided to handle it is to take that dangerous nature away . . . entirely.

This isn't to pick on wives either...we all have to be aware of the ways in which we are being fooled...dads and moms with their sons and daughters, spouses, grandparents, teachers, employers, significant others, pastors, elders, mentors, etc etc etc...do you see how the enemy is at work here? Putting men, and boys, in a shell, locked in a worldly comfort zone, robots in a life of duty and obligation, where they are secretly trying to break free, usually in ways that aren't of God...why? Because they are taught and shown that God's will is not adventurous, that there is no battle...yet it is SO clear in scripture that God designed us for such a life...because we live in that life!

We can't take away the "dangerous" God has designed us to have and expect to be all God created us to be, nor to live in His will...it doesn't work. We need to be dangerous for good. A scalpal is a very dangerous tool, but when used correctly, it saves lives. Without it, many lives would be lost. Without men who will fight for their wives, children and for Christ, lives will be lost. It's not a game, it IS life or death.

It's easy to take advantage of the freedom God's given us, just as it's easy to take advantage of the freedom our spouse or parents may give us, but without it, life can spiral into a wierd combination of resentment, privacy and silence...exactly what Satan would want. The story of our life is the long and brutal assault on our heart by the one who knows what we can become and fears it.