(ThyBlackMan.com) As the annual celebration of men approaches, the age-old debate again resurfaces for controversy and discussion: How do I find a good man? “How” has trumped the ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘where’ of a good man for ages, based, as it is, upon the principle of immediate gratification.
Psalm One of the Hebrew Bible, however, gives us a starting point for the who, what and where of a good man. Psalm One is a reference point for gauging the character of a good man.
Pop culture will typically grade a man’s character by his financial holdings, his economic potential and by his celebrity appeal (read: sex appeal). The psalmist, though, lays out a checklist of a man’s authentic personhood.
Psalm One is an introduction of sorts and points to the model of manhood in the person of Jesus Christ. Here, Christ is cast as existing in loving devotion with the Father, as the embodiment of self-love and acceptance and as the caretaker of family and community.
The who, what and where of a good man is, appropriately enough, embedded in Scripture. This at once cancels the claim that one cannot “find” a good man and it also renounces the equally dubious claim that one is “waiting for God to send him”. There is no new revelation concerning our deep desire for perfect love; Scripture has already revealed the schematic of such a pursuit.
Accordingly, if we search the Scriptures, we will discover the blueprint of a good man.
Who is a good man? A good man loves God. “His delight is in the law of the Lord”. Society has laid claim to such a man as one who cares for his children or the so-called “family man”. Yet in pop culture the “family man” mystique has also been associated with multiple affairs. Further, the relationship with women and children are horizontal in nature; its meaning is diluted if a man is lacking vertically in devotion to God.
What makes a man a good man? A good man worships God. “…he meditates day and night.” A good man has learned self-love and seeks growth. What makes him a good man is often attached to his material accumulation. Upon further observation, though, it is discovered that a good man is usually attached to something bigger, bigger than himself and bigger than the contradictions contained within himself. He exists for something other than himself.
Where might one find such a man? A good man bears God. “…he is like a tree planted by streams…” Strip a man of his material value. Make of him what his experience, not age, has shaped of him. Where may you find him? Near or at his power center, or the “streams” of knowledge, consciousness and introspection molded by what he has learned of himself through his relationship with God and the world in which he moves and breathes.
Finally, after all the searching, a man is only as “good” as the woman who seeks him. More importantly, whether as a man or woman seeking love, we are the sum of the “good” we have been exposed to or the good, otherwise lacking from our experience, we seek to bring to ourselves through definite means.
The who, what and where of a “good” man is discovered in Scripture.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.