Wisdom In Strength

What makes a man so beautifully unique is their wisdom in strength. There is an Irish saying, “May the strength of God pilot us, May the wisdom of God instruct us, May the hand of God protect us, May the Word of God direct us. Be always ours this day and forevermore.” – St. Patrick

During the 4th of July holiday, I watched The Patriot again for like the thirtieth time. What a movie. . . The first time I saw it, in the theater, I was with my son and one of his best friends. I felt honored to watch such an amazing film about the bravery of men with my beloved son. This motion picture set my mind in motion and opened up a window that spoke to me deeply about the inward workings of boys and men. I loved raising my son and at every stage he amazed me. He taught me how good men are fearfully and wonderfully made. Good men are carefully knit together by loving parents, friends and God Almighty. I always remind mothers of boys, how lucky they are to have the privilege to a backstage seat to the “man show”. The stuff you learn as a mother of a son helps you in every area of life and relationships, in work, family and love.

A few years ago I worked for a man with a harsh, tough exterior that appeared to be blunt, mean, uncaring and rude. As I watched him interact with the other guys I worked with, I was shocked at their cooperation with each other. I would even go so far as to say, that the men who worked for him admired him. On the other hand, every time I had to deal with him as my boss, I was frustrated, angry and generally ready to strangle him. I just kept observing him and I realized that I was the first woman to ever work with him in my position. When he was trying to work with me, he did not have a clue and so he was generally frustrated, angry and didn’t know how to effectively be my supervisor. I guessed that he didn’t have very many women in his life and at the Christmas party; I got to meet his family. He had all sons and his wife was the only daughter in her primary family. From that point on, I adapted my style in dealing with him. I dropped everything “girly” and just became one of the guys. I only said what needed to be said as concisely as possible. He didn’t like meetings so we never met, we emailed. He didn’t know what to do with me so I never asked him what he wanted done. I could go on, but it didn’t take long for him and me to get along without all the stress. I can honestly say that when I left that job, I was sad to say goodbye to him. I respected him and his professional experience.

Boys and men are wired so differently from women and come in so many flavors, sizes and colors. But on the inside, the Adam in them shines through their strength. The Eve in us sometimes puts them down, devalues them, and misunderstands them. Adam and Eve were designed to be the image of God. He does have a feminine side but his masculine persona is displayed in splendor throughout the Bible in men like Samson, Elijah, David, Paul, Peter and on and on. I don’t want to stereo type either sex, but I think some of us “can’t see the forest for the trees” when dealing with the opposite sex.

Right now, my son is in love. He emailed me pictures of him and a beautiful girl, with a few words that said, “Feel free to forward these around. I'm so in love.” That’s it! I call him agent 007. This is the first time he has ever uttered these words, yet alone put it in writing for publication. When a girl is in love, or suspects love, or thinks love might happen, it slips out. I emailed my son to “phone home.” I wanted to hear all about it. He didn’t want to talk about it. I can’t say that I blame him. Any other time he told us about someone, I had to know everything. I guess I just wore out my welcome in his personal love life. Here is where I get back to the beginning, The Patriot, for those of you that love it too. . . Mel Gibson, the father, was so misunderstood by his eldest son, Heath Ledger in the beginning of the movie. What he thought was hesitation in taking action, was just wisdom in strength. Heath didn’t know the real Mel until later in the story when Mel wiped out the British with strength that came out of a genius assault.

Right now, I have a few pictures of my really smart, handsome son, who looks incredibly happy to be with a beautiful, sweet woman. That’s it. He is hesitant to tell me too much. I still love him and I have great respect for who he has become as a man. For now, I just have to believe that I have a son who displays wisdom in strength.