A Real Man
A REAL MAN
Read John 11:32-36.
As Kyle turned his bike in to the driveway, he skidded on some gravel and scraped his elbow. “It doesn’t hurt,” he said as Mom bandaged it. Kyle wouldn’t admit that his arm hurt quite a bit.
“Come on,” said Mom. “Let’s see if the TV has any news about that fire.” As they watched, they saw Kyle’s father, a firefighter, climbing a ladder to help a man escape the burning house. “Did you see that?” asked Kyle. “Dad is brave. He’s a real man!”
When his father arrived home Kyle began, “Hey, Dad, we saw you on TV!” But his father just slumped down in a chair and started to cry. Kyle couldn’t believe it!
“What’s wrong, dear?” asked Kyle’s mother.
Dad wiped his eyes. “The man we rescued died in the hospital. I feel so bad for his wife.”
Kyle grew quiet and went to his room. Later his father came in and asked, “Are you all right?”
Kyle mumbled, “I thought that men never—well, I never thought you would.”
Dad smiled. “You thought men never cried, right?” Kyle nodded, and his father continued. “I don’t cry a lot, but I wouldn’t make a good firefighter—or a good Christian—if I didn’t care about people. Jesus cried when His friend Lazarus died. You don’t think He was a sissy, do you?”
“No,” Kyle replied. “He was brave enough to go to the cross and die for us. I guess I have a lot to learn about being a real man, don’t I?”
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you think that men should hide their feelings to prove how brave they are? Jesus didn’t hide His feelings, but He was no weakling either. He did many difficult things through the power of God. You can do the same, whether you’re a young man or a young woman.
TO MEMORIZE:
Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”
John 11:35-36
REAL MEN HAVE FEELINGS.
From the book
