Everything I Know About Masculinity I Learned From God

Last month we celebrated women in missions, and this month we’re giving it up for our guys. We’ve poured over blogs from men on the field along with those of the thankful ladies serving beside them. They’re stories of fun and freedom, challenge and compassion, honor and humility. And the lasting impression we’re left with is a man who looks like Jesus.

Kent Cranford of January 2013 M Squad traveled the world alongside other men seeking God’s heart. Over the course of his eleven month travel he not only learned valuable lessons about the heart of God, but also about himself. One of the most treasured lessons he learned was that masculinity isn’t what the world had taught him. It was something more, evident in the life of Jesus and the godly men surrounding him.

Can I take you back to the moment when everything changed for me? Back to the moment I knew I wasn’t a boy anymore.

It was 2013 and I was traveling the world for eleven months, seeing everything that God had in store for me. Over the course of that year, I discovered my passion and my calling. The best thing though?

I discovered my masculinity. 

It wasn’t easy though. I had to constantly fight off lies from the enemy and the rest of the world. The lies that said I had limitations. The lies that told me I had to fit a certain stereotype. The lies that said I’m not enough.

To so many people, I was still just a boy.

But to God? He saw me as a son. And in that, he also saw a man. 

I studied the life of Jesus and looked for guidance from the men that surrounded me. I realized the examples I had in my past failed by comparison to what was right in front of me. The example my heart had been so desperately longing for. The example that made everything the world taught me seem obsolete and worthless.

For so long, I was taught that to be a man I had to do the opposite of what Jesus did. 

Instead of showing my heart, I was supposed to hide my emotions. Instead of being compassionate, I needed to be selfish. Instead of being honest and walking in integrity, I was taught to do whatever it took to survive and advance.

Instead of being mentally strong, I had to be physically strong. Instead of fighting the temptation of lust with everything I had, I was expected to give in and kick purity to the curb.

But every time I felt those lies spoken over me, and even when I failed, Jesus and the other men traveling with me were there to speak truth into me. 

I was shown it was okay to not pretend I had it all figured out. It’s acceptable to admit that I have fears. It’s better to be the person I actually am, not the person I wanted to be. I learned that being a man means I have nothing to hide. I was taught that a real man walks in honor and, in knowing his weaknesses, finds ways to set himself up for success in the future. 

I was shown that real masculinity isn’t measured by the number of calluses on my hands, but the strength it takes in standing my ground when it comes to my values, beliefs, and God. 

I learned to follow Jesus’ example, to let my heart be moved and then to act on it. Instead of being part of the problem, I saw where a man would do anything to fix all the wrongs he sees. Hands down though, the biggest thing I learned about masculinity is that it has so much to do with humility.

Humility goes against everything the world says a man should be. But it’s the very essence of who Jesus was, is, and always will be. 

If you’re ready to strip yourself of what the world tells you to be and spend time with godly men and women in search of God’s heart, check out our 2014 Summer Passport trips.