Manhood: Be the Leader of Your Team

Him:  I spent a lot of time while growing up competing in various sports. I participated in numerous tournaments and post seasons gathering several championship titles and even garnering a handful of personal awards. I came to understand the meaning of team very well- camaraderie, goal setting, communication, decision making, conflict, problem solving, hard work and sacrifice. When one member failed the others had to be there to pick up the slack. When the team struggled and lost its rhythm a leader had to dig deep and find it. The leader put his team before himself and did whatever it took, dragging himself and everyone with him if needed, to accomplish the goal at hand.

(Photo by Trisha Lawson Photography)

As a husband and father I'm on another team now and I'm its leader. When my wife or any of our five girls are hurting or in need my role is to lead them through it and they've come to count on me for this. Men, this is true for each of you. It's often easy for us to think that our responsibilities start and stop with providing for our families monetarily- a roof over their heads and food on the table. We trudge through the nine to five and return home exhausted day after day with the couch on our minds- or maybe it's the golf course, the gym, you name it. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 that we are to give ourselves up for our wives just as Christ did for the church. Our marriages should mirror the gospel message. Now tell me when the last time was that you put aside your TV time or hobby for her, much less chose to be crucified.


This week make it your goal to lighten her load. Pick a task that is normally on her plate and make it your own. Forgo hitting your favorite chair when you get home and join her in the kitchen. Ask her what her goals are for the week and work with her to accomplish them. Play with your kids. Do more than suffer through the painful stories that seem to take an eternity for them to spit out- engage them. This is your team now and you are their leader. If they fail to perform to their potential, find out why, pick them up, give them the tools to succeed.

All those trophies, medals, awards from my past…they're in a box somewhere in the garage. But what I learned along the way is transferable to the role I'm in now. My family's here to stay and our goal is a much larger prize- eternity.