An article written several years ago by Peggy Noonan told the story of a man who was killed by a shark. The husband and his new bride were enjoying their honeymoon in the South Pacific. As they were swimming in the ocean, a shark attacked the woman without warning. To defend her, the man began punching it in the head. He successfully distracted the shark, but the beast didn’t retreat. Instead, with his razor-like teeth, the creature turned and killed him instead.

The author’s point was that the world needs men who can “deck the shark.” I agree with her. Popular culture is bent on putting the masculine heart in a blender and pushing the puree button. But the world needs us more than ever to be the leaders, husbands, and fathers God has called us to be.

Being a strong man isn’t machoism or chauvinism. Real men can be scrawny or brawny and can hold any occupation. They needn’t don the bulging biceps of Vin Diesel or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Likewise, it’s not the size of his shoulders that counts but the size of his heart that matters. The Lord agrees: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature…For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart'” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Godly men are on a mission in the world to bring God’s Kingdom to earth. They fight for the marginalized, take care of their families, start businesses in low-income areas, and stand for biblical principles. True men have integrity. They aren’t required to be miners, mechanics, or ironworkers. The only iron men need is in their spines.

Biblical masculinity lifts up their sisters, but toxic masculinity pushes them down. Real men don’t catcall a lady but encourage her to catch bigger dreams. We seek to embody love as it “protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Cor 13:7, NIV).

Strong men punch sharks.

MEN ARE SUFFERING

The numbers are startling. Regarding incarceration, ninety-three percent of those in prison are male^[1]. Educationally, guys attend college less than their female counterparts^[2]. Men live shorter lives than women by a full five years^[3]. Concerning emotional health, men are also more prone to depression and are three-and-a-half times more likely to commit suicide than women^[4]. Furthermore, “Men commit 90 percent of homicides in the United States and represent 77 percent of homicide victims^[5].”

Reread those figures—it’s staggering. Sound the alarm! Men need help.

Men have been paddling upstream for several reasons. Endless commercials seek to emasculate the male spirit and make men look like buffoons and doofuses. Some secular groups would rather see that ocean predator gobble up that man’s wife rather than allow him to defend her.

We need to take our fair share of the blame for our predicament. Some of us have replaced our God-given dreams with big screens. Xbox’s replaced our toolboxes. Instead of saying I “fought the good fight” of faith (1 Tim 4:7), some have escaped to man-caves or aerie offices. Sundays for men are for fantasy leagues, not for attending church. It’s no surprise that, statistically, men attend church less than women^[6]. We have traded our strength for sarcasm, pornography for purity, and listlessness for leadership. Instead of decking sharks, we are decking each other.

Sin has caused our muscles to be misguided. We might have struggled with our earthly fathers, but we primarily forgot our Heavenly One. We also forgot about His Son and His work for us on the cross.

THERE IS HOPE

Our gender and unique gifts are needed more than ever in this world. There’s no reason for us to be shy or sheepish. The Apostle Paul commands us to “be men of courage.” That was 2,000 years ago. Our homes, work, and the church need our courage as much today as they did in Ancient Rome.

For Christian men, God is our Rock. We receive our strength and identity from the Living God. We need to continue to “Grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:19). The most important thing we can do is carve out time every day to spend time under the waterfall of His grace. We need to meet with other godly men, be vulnerable and challenge and sharpen each other.

We need encouragement to succeed. That is why the writer of Hebrews says to “encourage one another daily.” Men, find other guys to encourage. Don’t be afraid to speak life into a bumbling high-schooler or that older man you sit next to in church. Dig into his life and vice versa. Pray together. Women, we also crave your supporting voice. If one gender suffers, we all do. A banner needs to be flown high with pride by our lovely female counterparts with the inscription, “Strong Men Are Indispensable.” God created them both “male and female” not to compete but to complement one another. Both genders need to work together to advance the Kingdom of God.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a man who is tall, short, big, or small–you are still a man. And whatever job you hold–banker, doctor, writer, trash collector–you were designed to do it like a man. What does this mean? First, it means that whatever we do, we do it unto the Lord. It means we do it with integrity and excellence. It means we do it sacrificially. It means taking responsibility to be servant-leaders for our families and those around us at home.

To succeed, we must push aside the mountain of home projects, meetings, and hobbies that pull our attention from the One who gives us life. It will be scary for some men to flick-off Netflix, put the controller down, and break the boy within. We will do it anyway.

Next, men needn’t apologize for their strength. It will form jungle gyms that kids can play on. We’ll keep using it to fight for justice, build cool stuff, hold babies, fight fires, thwart attackers, and protect what is good, right, and pure. The only box we’ll put women in is the box-step needed for the Waltz. We champion our sisters and prop them up to be the bold women of God He has called them to be.

Thankfully, our most important problem of sin has been taken care of by the Man Himself, Jesus Christ. God’s own Son modeled manhood and is the “author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus was secure enough in His identity to bless the outcast, let an impure woman wash his feet, and reveal His divine nature to a woman who was married seven times. When a prostitute was about to be stoned to death, Jesus drew a line in the sand. Her accusers walked away. He also played with children, turned over tables, and cared for his mother. Jesus was a man’s man.

A NEW FUTURE

We’ve seen the statistics. Men are down, but we are not out. Whatever the cause of men being pushed to the fringes—it’s not a place for us to stay. Men are not optional. The world, more than ever, needs men to flourish for their marriages, families, and society to thrive. Women, we need your help. The fully alive, God-given male spirit is glorious and mighty. It can even save lives.

Now, where’s that shark?

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^[1] https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_gender.jsp
^[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2012/02/16/the-male-female-ratio-in-college/#16fa405bfa52
^[3] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db293.htm
^[4] https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/
^[5]https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/ce-corner.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2cfZF-uOZHrq5Q6QhzWbHll1FPdQT2JMkQPRCqUnZe6JK10NdWNXjss8E
^[6] http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/gender-composition/