8 Observations About Young Men

Over the past few years, I have been granted the privilege of becoming good friends with a number of young men. It has enlightened me. I have observed a few things about young men in general:
1. They want to be useful. If you are hosting a young man (ex. making him dinner), DO NOT make him just sit there. You know how little boys have the stereotype of being really energetic? Well, that doesn't ever really go away. They just learn how to channel their energy. If they offer to help, let them, even if it's as small as, "Would you wash this cup for me?"
2. They want to fix things. Though it's along the same lines as their desire to be useful, young men want to solve the problems presented to them. If you need someone to only vent to, go to a woman. Men will give you suggestions on how to fix what you're venting about. Personally, I like this. When I'm thinking about something and I go to someone to talk about it, it's usually because I want advice. Young men are guaranteed to give a thoughtful response.
3. They are make good listeners. Granted, not every man is a good listener. Not every woman is a good listener, either. However, the men who try to listen well usually excel at it. The reason for this is they want to gather all of the information they can so that they can offer a solution. Again, this is why I usually prefer going to young men for advice.
4. They are deep thinkers. Young men are trying to figure out what kind of person they are going to be for the rest of their life. They think about this at great length, and far more often than they let on. I have had some of the most delightful conversations with them about the nature of God, how to allow Him to use us to love others, and even what Heaven is going to be like. The confusing part is the following:
5. Sometimes, they really and truly aren't thinking about anything. Unlike women, men are capable of thinking about absolutely nothing. One young man explained it to me this way: "We like to organize our thoughts in boxes. Sometimes, we need to go into our nothing box for a little while to clear our head." Thankfully, they are very aware that women usually have something going on in their heads, so they make a habit of asking, "What are you thinking?" So, next time you ask a guy friend that same question and they answer, "Nothing," they very well may be telling the truth.
6. They do, in fact, cry. I don't care how many times a guy tells you, "I just don't cry." They do. If they don't, something is wrong with their biological system and they must seek medical help. The reality is that some of them prefer people to not see them cry. Some of them admit that they cry, but still don't want others to see it. I have seen young men whom I thought would never let anyone see them cry tear up in front of me. [Somehow every time the "tougher" ones did it, there was always another mutual guy friend present.] When it comes to young men crying, though, don't push them one way or another. If they cry a good deal, don't tease them. If they aren't prone to cry often, don't push them to try. Keep in mind, some women cry a lot more than others. The same is true for men. The best kind of tears a man can produce are those out of joy. Second to that is compassion.
7. They pray for patience a lot. I ask how I can pray for my guy friends a good deal. I cannot tell you how many times each of them have said, "Patience." Patience with where they are in life. Patience with not having answers. Patience, patience, patience. The good part is that they know that they need patience. They say that the first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one. I wish I knew how often I was being impatient.
8. Sometimes fighting is fun for them. By this, I mean the kind of rough-and-tumble sort of fighting that guys do with each other.The film, "Braveheart" has a perfect example of this. Near the beginning, William and Hamish are young boys. William beats Hamish in a rock-throwing contest. So, Hamish hits him. William gets right back up and they proceed to hit each other, laughing all the while. This behavior does not stop at childhood. They continue to do this into adulthood.  Don't believe me? Watch "Fight Club" sometime. Maybe it's just me, but I find this behavior one of the most hilarious things to watch.

These are just a few of the many intricacies of young men. I'm looking forward to learning more about them in the coming years. And by the way, if you don't have a guy friend, get one. They're awesome. 

Prayer, Worship, and the Dog

I had a first today. I prayed for the family dog. My family owns a gray toy poodle (shown in my blogger profile picture). He's technically my brother's dog, as he was a present for his 7th birthday.
The dog does not have much appreciation for music. This is unfortunate, because my brother and I are musicians to some extent, and my parents like playing music from the computer. The notes will hit a certain range of pitches that makes him howl in protest. So, we usually have to send the dog to my brother's room when we play music in any format (other than straight vocals).
Today, I wanted to play some worship music without being interrupted by the dog. So, I prayed for him. "Lord, please protect [insert dog's name] ears so that he does not protest to my worship. In fact, let him worship you in whatever way nature does."
It worked. The dog did not howl, whine, or anything. I called him to me, and he rolled over for me to pet him. No protestations were made. As I type this post up, I am STILL playing worship music. He is lying on the floor about a foot away from me, perfectly content.
God is so good. He loves His creation enough to protect it so that it brings glory to Him. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For anyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks the door shall be opened." Matt. 7:7-8

"She's here!": A story from a young mother

I mentioned a few months ago a young family which was expecting a baby girl. The first week of December, she arrived. We students kept hearing, "You have to hear the story of how it happened." A group of us wanted to do something to say, "Thank you," for all this young family has done for us, so we prepared a breakfast-for-dinner meal for them on Saturday of that week. When we arrived to deliver the food, the mother (I'll call her M) was up and walking, holding the baby. We were a little surprised, but happy for her all the same. The father (I'll call him P) invited us to stay and hear the story, but only myself and one of the other students could stay. After the commotion of, "Thank yous," and, "Goodbyes," were over, we sat down. (I got to hold the little one.)
M began the story. She said that she had gone in for her doctor's appointment, having begun some light contractions. She was told that she was a certain number of mm or cm dilated. However, with her first child, it had taken about three weeks of on again, off again contractions before he was born. So, she went home and let the contractions continue. M had planned to go to watch a movie in the evening at a friend's house. She decided to watch the intensity of her contractions before officially deciding to go. Happily, she was able to go. The contractions continued, but were light enough that she could carry on conversation.
When M arrived home, her contractions intensified. She and P decided that she would lie in the bedroom and he would sleep in the living room, as her pains required a vocal release, so to speak. Around 3:00 am, the contractions were at 4.5 minutes apart. M informed P that it was time for the baby to come.
At this point, P took up the story. He went to pack the car and make the needed phone calls. Ten minutes later, M announced that she needed to use the bathroom. She commented that her thought was that it would be the last chance she would have to do so. P completed his packing five minutes later and announced so to M. He was about to ask, "Can you put your shoes on, your would you like me to put them on you?" when she cried, "She's here!"
P's initial thought was that M was crowning or something. However, when he walked into the bathroom, his wife was sitting on the toilet holding their daughter. He was shocked. He said that his first thought was, "I've failed." M said that the look on his face was a mixture of surprise and horror. She asked him if they ought to call an ambulance. (The afterbirth had not yet come out, and they were concerned that M might have internal bleeding.) P went to do so just as a friend of theirs arrived to care for their son while they were away. She helped M snap out of her own shock by suggesting they put a blanket or towel around the newborn.
The ambulance took M and the baby to the birthing spa they had planned to go to. M was checked for any problems at the destination and the baby was attended to.
Their daughter's name means, "blind faith." As I held her during M and P's story, I looked down at her from time to time and thought, "What a precious gift you are." Children truly are a blessing from God. Praises be that this little one has come into our lives.