Who is raising our sons?
I am a mother of sons, one from my womb and many by assigment and my heart breaks almost every day about them. Remember sons of God refers to both male and female but in this piece I will clarify what I mean each time.
In this piece my focus is largely on the male son. As I said, I’m a mother of sons but I am also a sister, a friend, a companion of many men and by the grace of God who sets up safe spaces with us, we have many difficult conversations all the time and they break my heart every time.
I see how we have taken time to raise the girl, teach the girl, coach and mentor the girl but done very little for the boys. I am a direct beneficiary of the girl empowerment movement and I am glad for the pressure that was put and how it made me grow. I also thank God my brother was a beneficiary of going through the same wringer but it’s not so for many others.
I always said, we are doing our part with the girls and men need to rise up and do their with the boys until I was recently stopped in my tracks by 2 Timothy 1:5 NLT which says,
I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.
Then I met afresh with 2 Timothy 3:14-15 NLT
But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
I don’t know what happened to Timothy’s father but his upbringing brought him into a space where his life spoke to many yet he didn’t seem to have a strong male influence until he met Paul (I could be wrong but that’s how I see it from my reading).
If this is so, what was he taught? How was it taught and what can I learn?
Timothy was known to be steadfast and sure. He was known to be devoted to God and a committed worker. He was known as a true disciple whose walk was solidified by his interactions with Paul, yet he had a solid foundation from before.
Don’t get me wrong, fathers, uncles and other strong male role models are important but what happens in the absence of that? Was God unaware of the lack? No. Has He planted women around? Yes. Could it them be that we have a role to play? Definitely.
We need to understand that the female is the womb, the place of incubation & growth, the source of nourishment and strength, the mother, teacher and guide of the community and if she gets it wrong the community gets it wrong.
There is a place for us as the female expression of God, to seek His face and understand ourselves, our children, our charges, our nations and the world from His perspective and learn from Him how to raise each one to His glory. However, we can only understand that if we are already devoted to and plugged into Him as our rudder and guide.
Who is raising our sons – male and female? Right now it is culture, tradition, media, unrealistic expectations and so much more and it needs to change.
Since we cannot teach what we don’t know we must learn. How do we learn what we need? We must tune back into God and understand the times and raise them right and strong because no man or woman can lead, follow, support or conquer life unless their lives are properly grounded.
Arise, become, then raise the next generation right.
