The Journey of Boys2Men

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.”- 1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:11‬ This verse has been used a lot when it comes to transitioning from being a child to an adult. Paul was telling us in this chapter the true definitions of what love is. As a young man, I feel like it is important to know when it is time to stop with the games, stop with the lies, and stop with the overall childish things. We live in a generation where most guys are lost. They have no vision of what or how to become a true man of God. Including myself, I have been a child and done things that were childish. These are some things that transitioned me from being a child to a man. 1. The secret ingredient? Growth-Maturity

The biggest difference from transitioning from a boy to a man is maturity. The first step into maturity is wisdom. How do you get wisdom? We must fear God. In Proverbs 1:7 it says, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Everything starts with God. Everything ends with God for He is the Alpha and the Omega. We must humbly bow down and say to God, “Help me grow, let me gain Your wisdom.” Notice that immaturity is in that verse as well. The fools reject the wisdom and discipline. God is giving you a choice on if you want to be a boy or a man. Boys love to fool around while men will be wise with their decisions. You choose.

2. Women are not trophies, they are human With the maturity, boys are transitioning into men. When you are transitioning from being a boy to man, you come to an understanding that women are nothing to play with. They are human, not trophies. Actually, they are your sisters in Christ. We have to remember that! Women are not an object. Women are not a side piece. Women are not games. Women are not trophies. They are children of God; they are our sisters. Men think next time; think before you are about to manipulate her mind into doing something she doesn’t want to do. Next time think before you say words you can’t take back. There will always be consequences, especially on the woman’s side. Men, when you hurt them by cheating and using/doing inappropriate things, you’re hurting them mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. When you do that, they become builders. They will build walls so high that they will look at any guy in their lives after being hurt in a different way. They will reflect with moments that hurt them the most. Men don’t be moments of pain, be moments of joy. Remember, what you’re doing in the present will effect your future. Our God is always watching. He wants to give you wisdom and guidance to be a true man of God to women. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”- Proverbs 3:5-6 3. We Must Have A Foundation In True Love

Men, what does true love look like? True love has nothing to do with a woman. It has everything to do with Jesus for He is love. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”- 1 John 4:8 Men, if we want to transition into the man God created us to be, we must know that God is love. God should be the foundation of our lives with His love being the mustard seed that sprouts up to make a huge impact in our lives. Some of us might have grew up where we didn’t see God is love. We probably saw “abuse” being love. We probably saw “cheating” being love. We probably saw “adultery” being love. We probably saw “lying” being love. Men, those are childish things that leads no where but more damage. Love is the complete opposite as we seen in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. True love is patient. True love is kind. True love is protection. True love is trust. True love is Jesus. Jesus is the foundation. Boys become men when they put Jesus as the foundation in their lives and first in their hearts. Well of course there’s more on how to become a man in this world, but it all starts with God. If you ask God to lead your life, He will provide. He will provide the tools to become a gentleman. God will provide you mentors. God will provide you a church family. God will provide you with wisdom to understand what and how to deal with situations. Now, am I saying this is going to be a perfect transition? Of course not. If you’re a child of God, expect storms to come into your life. When they do come, praise Him during the storms for that is where you find the most growth into becoming a man of God. Men, it is time to step up in our lives, our friendships, our family, and our community. Put away the childish things and step up to becoming the man God created us to be.