The Little Boy in Every Man; The Wounded Girl in Every Woman

I've spent a large portion of my life living as a passive man, enviously cynical at many times of the adventures seen in hero stories: A fair maiden is held by a maleficent evil, an heroic adventurer fights the injustice, vanquishing the wickedness and winning the lady's heart. But I've come to realize that the fight is all too real and I've missed the point of the parable entirely.

As a man, I was made to strike a blow against evil. I was formed from the dust and filled with the very breath of God to be that valiant man. But long ago before I even knew God, evil struck at my manhood and tried to rob me of my life through the lust of passivity.

"You don't really need to fight for a woman."

"You're not a man.You're just a weak little boy."

"Look at all the times you've failed. That makes you a failure."

I gave in to these lies for so long. But God, who is rich in mercy and love, found me drowning in the mire of my own guilt and rescued me. For eleven years now He has spoken truth to me.

"You are my son. I am pleased with you."

"I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness."

"You are more than a conqueror through Jesus who loves you."

Eleven years. The fight has been brutal at times with very little rest. But my Lord spoke to me today and said, "You may fight with your body but it is my armaments you use. You can do nothing without Me."

My eyes are open. I will fight the war with faith that the words of God are true and the words of the Evil One are deceitful. There is more at stake than just my life. The life of every person trapped behind walls is also at stake. The walls of the imprisoned maiden are not always built by a villainous character. Often the bricks of her imprisonment are handed to her and she builds her own prison. These bricks are named by the Evil One to strike at the heart of the damsel:

"You are not beautiful."

"There is no one who will fight for you."

"Love is just a lie meant to break your heart with false hope."

The abused maiden is in need of a Truth that will set her free. The crushed man is in need of the same. It is God's design that the true identity of man and woman would complement one another and the Evil One's design that they should be torn asunder. It is war and importantly one every man must fight.

As a man of God, it is my calling to rise up and fight. I want to fulfill my desire to be knight in shining armor for a damsel in distress. So I bombard the Enemy's position and set the captives free with every truth from the Word of God. The Evil One may have bricks, but I have artillery:

"He has made everything beautiful in its time."

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."

"To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment."

Dear friend, find your identity in Christ. He is the strength for the weary and broken-hearted. All who cry out to Him in faith will be rescued. Men, end your passivity. Surrender to the power of God and He will train you to be a mighty warrior. In the words of Gil Bailie, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Jesus is the giver of life.