Work. We have to do it. We have to do it to provide for our families. We pack our lunches and head off for the day. We board a plane and are gone for days at a time. We leave behind our families and pray that God sees fit for us to return. The people we leave behind are more valuable than the cargo in our bags. They are more important than the briefs in our cases. We don’t always remember this. We are thinking only of the work that lies ahead of us.

Focus. We are so focused on what lies ahead that we don’t see what is left behind. We miss the longing of our sons who only want us to take a second to play catch if only for a second. We miss the look in our daughters’ eyes hoping to be reminded that they are relevant. That they are beautiful.

Pause. If only we would pause for a moment. Simply take a second to look back at what we are leaving behind. Maybe we would realize that what we are leaving behind is more important than where we are going.

Conflicted. It is a conflict that many men make every day. Doing what we have to do to give the best we can to those we love while losing out on those precious moments.

Torn. Why must we make these choices? If we had our way, every waking moment would be spent loving them. Holding them. Telling them that they are beautiful.

Work. There is a clock to punch. A plane to catch. A meeting that can’t be missed.

Loss. What good is it that a man gains the world, but loses his very soul?

Choice. We believe that we have a choice, but do we really? Not everyone can stay at home. Not everyone can pick up their children from school every day. We all can’t kiss our kids goodnight every night. We can’t always be there to hold them when they’re scared. We can’t always look them in the eyes and tell them that they’re beautiful. It is our job to provide for them, but at what cost? We can only pray that they will one day understand that what we do for them, we do because we love them. It is sad that we have to sacrifice our time for money. We have to make the most difficult of choices in order to put food on the table.

No one ever said that manhood would be easy.

Mr. Man

        

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