Christian artist Kirk Franklin is sharing what it means to "man up," saying that boys need to learn this in order to succeed in life.
"Young men these days are weaker than a lot of the pop songs on radio today: lots of noise but no hook. Nothing that sticks with you. No substance," he wrote in his Patheos blog. "And doting mothers only make things worse whenever they pick up, defend, justify, and fight for their young boys every time they do something wrong."
The cycle will continue, warned Franklin, unless boys finally learn how to "man up."
"Being raised by a single older woman myself, I missed a lot of development as a young man. That was my father's job... wherever he was," shared Franklin. "I had to learn fast to fight. I failed a lot at it at first and had to change coaches from time to time. But I was drawn to winners because I wanted to win a family. God has always challenged men in His Word to 'man up.'"
Franklin then shared the story of Moses, who kept giving God several excuses why he could not represent Him in Egypt. In the end, God told him to "man up" and so Moses did – and this eventually led to the freedom of the Jews.
It's not an easy process to "man up," argued Franklin, but problems will not go away for people who simply hide from it.
"Walking away is so easy. I believe that's why it's so wrong. Many men suffer from the disease of passivity," Franklin said. But those who "sweat or strain a lot" to achieve a worthy objective will eventually be rewarded and will get what they truly deserve, he added.
The singer then asked: "Will you grab your pain and make excuses? Or will you position yourself so that when God passes you the ball and your family needs you to get back in the game and win, what will you do? I pray you man up."
