Let Us Make Man

I have held many titles and positions over my professional career and personal life. One of my most rewarding titles is a Servant Leader; any good effective leader must be a servant first. I have no shortage of confidence but no self-aggrandizement either. Additionally, I have an abundance of gratitude to those trail blazers who came before me; and I acknowledge, my help comes from above.

I, like many others, have made missteps and mistakes but I never gave up and always got back up after failures. I knew from an early age that my worth was not associated to how others described me but it was connected to who I believed I was or who I believed I could become. I was taught that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. I learned that you must control your weaknesses before others will exploit them. The making of a man takes a village and it takes time, it is a difficult task but a worthy one. It is necessary to learn from our mistakes and to grow, I did this but I am not alone; there are many good men out there but so many are lost to the negative coverage.

I didn’t come from the inner city or a broken family, I had both parents in the home. I was raised with strong family values and was surrounded by relatives, friends and extended family members. My education didn’t start at school, it started at home and at church. By the time I went to school my foundation was already set. I was exposed to diverse cultures, races, religions, and nationalities. Love was the driving force not hate; I learned that I could love myself and my heritage without hating others. I was intrigued by those who were different than me and I had a strong desire to understand and embrace those differences. Again, this was not an anomaly, there were many guys just like me who didn’t care about where you were from, how much money you had or your affiliations. If you were good people, you were good people, period.

The making of a man is connected to philosophical and psychological views and interpretations. We must not allow the failure of some to distort the view of all. We need each other to make it. It is his will that every need is supplied. Life is full of good men and bad men but the emphasis seems to be on the bad, we need to change the paradigm and focus on the good. Many have been wounded because of poor choices and circumstances but many have been healed because of good choices and circumstances. Part of the making of a man is to own up to your shortcomings and make the necessary changes. Our battle cry should be ‘I won’t harm you with words from my mouth, I love you I need you to survive, you are important to me, I need you to survive.’ We really need each other to survive.

The making of a man is difficult, the environment and circumstances can influence our results. Therefore, when you find a good one we need to uplift him, cherish him, celebrate him and not focus on the negative. An old Cherokee was teaching his grandson about the fight within and states the following. ‘It is a terrible fight and it's between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogant, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.’ He continued ‘The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.’ He tells his grandson that this same fight is going on inside of you and every person. The grandson asked which wolf will win. The old Cherokee simply replied, ‘The one you Feed.’

This is a choice we all have and it will determine what type of man we make. My question to you is, which one are you feeding?