Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was let go from the team today, his contract terminated after video surfaced of him punching his then-fiancée (now-wife) in the face and dragging her out of an elevator earlier this year.
Rice was charged with assault but has not done jail time; instead he’s in an intervention program for first-time offenders. He’s sorry – he admitted his behavior was “inexcusable.”
There are plenty of jerks in this world – more than I can count. Cowardly, pathetic excuses for men with no self control who abuse women. I don’t want to focus on them.
Instead, I thought I’d share a couple of personal examples of real men – men who value and respect women. Men who model Christ and love His creation.
Example 1: My father, Samuel Maserejian. When my mother was ill, he would visit her daily at the hospital. One day there was a power outage, and the elevator at the hospital was out of service. After a long day of work, he climbed something like 15 flights of stairs just to say good night to her.
A real man puts his wife’s needs ahead of his own. A real man is not afraid of sacrifice. A real man is physically strong but doesn’t use his strength against a woman.
Example 2: When Jayson and I were dating, we went to Armenia together. A couple of days before our return, we attended our friend’s wedding and made the mistake of eating some egg salad that had been sitting out that humid day. We both got food poisoning. Our long flight home was not fun. I don’t do well with public restrooms anyway – OCD in full effect – and so I waited patiently until there was no line to use the airplane’s restroom. I spent at least a few minutes layering everything with toilet paper (sorry, environmentalists – I just can’t). Apparently there was an inebriated man on the plane who didn’t like how long I was taking in the bathroom, and started banging on the door. Jayson – again, we were just dating – jumped up to defend my honor to a drunken idiot who was twice his size.
A real man defends his woman’s honor. A real man doesn’t take crap from anyone. A real man faces his fears. A real man protects his future-wife from harm.
There are real men all around us.
Men who work hard to provide for their wives and children.
Men who risk their lives to serve our country.
Men who encourage women in their careers.
Men who affirm women.
Men who cherish.
Men who protect.
Men who are chivalrous.
Men who respect.
Men who uplift.
Men who treat women the way Jesus treated women: as children of God, made in His image, worthy of the love that brought Him down from heaven and the death that put Him up on the cross.
I expect to be treated this way. Anything else is unacceptable.
OK, I’m getting off my shoebox now.
Men who treat women the way Jesus treated women: as children of God, made in His image, worthy of the love that brought Him down from heaven and the death that put Him up on the cross.
I expect to be treated this way. Anything else is unacceptable.
OK, I’m getting off my shoebox now.
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