Devotion 2.25.19

We’ve in a series based on a book called, “King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine”.  If you have any questions, thoughts, and comments, email me and I’d love to incorporate them.

This is the topic with the name that makes things feel awkward.  But the final character trait that is mentioned is…

The Lover

The authors pick this name for a reason, though I might prefer something like “The Artist”.

The key idea to this side of the mature man is that you have a deep appetite for life- for food, for love, for reproduction, for everything which involves sensation.  And in the healthy expression of this side of men, these desires for sensation of the physical world around us are pursued without shame and in a way that cares for others (doesn’t take advantage of the world around us in a self-gratifying way).

I like that the authors even highlight the way many of us experience this we become “buffs” or “fans” of something.  You’ve got the guys who love cars, the hard core fans who devote their clothing to a single team, and even the man who dedicates himself tasting every hot sauce in the known world.

Think for a while about some of those tangible things about which you’re passionate.  Celebrate them as gifts from God and at the same time consider how it fits within your identity as a Christian.  I love Paul’s advice to the Church in Corinth.

²³ “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴ No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. . . .³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— ³³ even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.  (1 Cor. 10:23-33)

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School