Whatever Happened to the Young Man's Heart?

What ever happened,
to the young man's heart?
Swallowed by pain,
as he slowly fell apart.
And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45...




I heard those words in a song a few years ago while driving to work one day, and it really hit me; it lead me down a road of thought that has shown me so many sad truths...

It's a sad thing these days, the state of men. It's so odd to see a man actually act like a man. You know the kind of guy I'm talking about, the guy who keeps his word until death, fulfills his commitments, and does the things God intended a man to do. Whatever happened to the young man's heart? Where did we go wrong, that men - young men especially - have no heart or care for anything? It's such a sad, sad thing. To see a young man- a teenager maybe - who's dedicated to school, extra-curricular activities, his family, responsibilities, and others, is such an odd and out of the ordinary thing. Who do we have to blame?

It would be such an easy thing to blame the young men themselves: "He's selfish, lazy, self-centered, arrogant, and unreliable!" How often do we hear women saying that about men? Quite often in my world, really. The sad thing is, the men are to blame for not taking responsibility, but more than that, the parents (or lack there of) are more to blame. I think on a line from a movie I once heard: "I'm a 30 year old boy, I can't get married. We're a generation of men raised by women, is another woman in our life really what we need?" Such a profound statement; men are raised by women because their father's aren't, or weren't, around to show them the right way to live. They weren't ever told that just because you want something doesn't mean you get it. They were never taught that their word means something, and right is right regardless of how you feel about it. They were never shown that going to work is a part of life, not a choice in life, and children are supposed to be a blessing, not a consequence.

When did the family start to take a back seat to selfishness and passion? When did feelings start to rule actions? When did we, as a society and people, change into people who only live for the moment and lose heart? It's a scary thought that the world in which we live is ruled by feelings and emotional whims. We've lost heart, we have no direction, and our solution is apathy. As the song states, once pain comes for the young man, he stares into the barrel of a 45. He gives up; he sees no real value in struggle, hard work, or responsibility. It's time men start to stand up and be the men God created us to be.

Oh, what a different world it would be if the young man took his focus off of himself, and looked toward God and others...

The Gift of Objectivity

So, I often think of this time in my life, or the time to come I should say, the moment my last breath is taken. I mean, isn't that the most important breath you'll ever take? I heard it said once that the two most important moments in your life are the moment you are born, and the moment you realize why. That's a very profound statement, but in reality, shouldn't the most important moment in your life be when you take your last breath? Shouldn't the time when you're gasping for your last liter of oxygen, the oxygen that supplies the rest of your body with the life-giving breath God breathed into Adam at the beginning of time, be what is most important? We all live our lives in the moment to some extent, but if we were to keep this fact in mind, the fact that someday, maybe sooner than later, we'll be taking our last breath, and the grave is where we rest our bones forever while our soul moves to eternity, wouldn't the world be a different place?

Think if every decision you made was made with that thought constantly in mind. Is this decision really important? Are these words I'm about to speak, actions I'm about to take, or thoughts I'm about to entertain really worth it? The world would be such a different place if people truly knew their mortality. The fights over: politics, property, money, land, and every other selfish thing there is in this world would nearly cease to exist.

What a gift objectivity is. Thank you for it, Lord.

I ask too many questions...

I hope I'm not the only one out there who sucks at life. Man, I swear I feel like sometimes I am just one sin/failure/procrastination away from a deserved beheading. Why is it that I can never do the things that I want to do, but rather I do that which I do not want to? I mean, Paul was right...

So I feel I have to explain myself a little about the previous post about said 'not divorced woman.' Said not divorced woman and I have never had any ill-advised contact, we do not have any ill-advised relationship, and, in-fact, said not divorced woman probably has no idea I feel this way. Said not-divorced woman will be divorced next week, and is just as heartbroken as you would expect someone to be in her position. Maybe I'm an idiot for feeling this way. I need to guard my heart I suppose, pray about it, and put it in God's hands. Or maybe just not be so dang selfish.

Anyway, I've had too much to think (imagine that) lately, and have been struggling with, and trying to figure out, a balance in my Christian life. A balance between living a holy life, and realizing I'll never be perfect. I mean, where does the balance come in? Laying awake at night, fearing for my soul because I can't stop the sin that so easily entangles me, but yet knowing, accepting, loving, serving, and yielding to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Why is it that I can't find that balance and peace that so many born-again Christians know? Maybe I let my brain get in the way? Maybe I'm missing something?

Maybe I am still too full of self to receive all that God has to offer, including the peace that passes all understanding? Whatever it is, I die to know it, and I wish It were there for me to grab, take hold of, cultivate, make a part of my being, and bear the fruit I so desperately want it to. Whatever it is, I wish God would reveal it to me, but I do know a few other things, one of which is that there are certain things that we (Christians) can control but choose not to. Maybe it's a simple as praying more, asking more, believing more, acting according to his will, obeying his commands, and following the two greatest commandments? Or, maybe more-so, it's a frame of mind, realization, and accepting of what Jesus did on the cross. Died for my sins, and my own righteousness will not ever be enough. I've already failed miserably 1,000,000 times and counting, so why would I ever think that how I act would make me righteous before the almighty God and his perfect kingdom and throne?

I ask too many questions....