The Heart of a Boy

I just don't get what makes fart jokes ALWAYS funny, how almost anything can be turned into a weapon, and why it is so important to always ferret out "the bad guy" and pretend to fight him.  But, as a mother of a boy (and, let's be real, a wife), this has become my life.

Last week Dr. Don Davis preached a sermon on David and Goliath.  It is well worth a listen.  Something he said has been percolating in my mind all week: A boy has all the intent of a man, with none of the strength to back it up.  What a fragile place to be.  It was a tangential statement of sorts, but the implications are stunning.

Too many men emerge from adolescence confused about their purpose in life, and I think this is one reason why.  Their boyish hearts have been filled to bursting with all the passion and honor and courage God intended for them, but life, or parents, or their own sin have damaged how they see themselves.  God whispered identity and purpose in their hearts early, but their hearts were mishandled and they don't know who they are anymore.

I'm not a mother who worries over nutrition or injuries and such, but I do worry about my son knowing who he is in Christ.  How do you handle a boy's heart held in such a fragile place?  I have seen men, whose mothers never let them try things and whose fathers always berated their achievements.  They emerge from childhood stifled and afraid.  They forget that their power is in the Spirit and their eyes drop in shame from the conquest of the horizon.

But I have also seen men whose mothers told them they could do anything they set their minds to and whose fathers channelled all their misapplied intent into their son's talents.  When life doesn't align with this self-centered worldview, they become disillusioned by failure, or lost in the pursuit of their talents.  They forget that their power is from the Spirit and they see the horizon as their personal conquest.

And some men were never told God's story, that they are part of a mission much bigger than themselves, and they are bored, seeking to fill their warrior-sized intent with self-gratifying distractions.

But David, when he took on Goliath, knew exactly who he was and for what he was made.  Mocked for being nothing, he knew everything he needed was in the Lord.  He neither dropped his eyes in shame, or claimed the battle for himself.  He was on mission for the Lord.

I want to raise a son with the heart of David.  I want to build up the intent that God placed within him, let him fail enough that he knows the battle can't be won on his own, and instill in him the wisdom to know when God is calling him to conquer the horizon in His name.

No pressure, Mom.

I know it takes being parents who have hearts like David...mothers and fathers who are clear about their identity in Christ and who have vision to claim the horizon for Christ's name.  It requires my son to be grounded in the story of God's great plan to bring the world under His rule and reign and to know God wants to use him as part of this plan.  And, it requires his Mama to acknowledge his life as an offering to the Lord, praying not for his safety or success, but for his strong identity in Christ and fearless abandon in the battle of the Lord.

The heart of a boy, if settled in the hands of God, can propel him to conquer giants.