Men You Must Be Strong

 

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

1 Corinthians 16:13

What happened on Sunday, at Bondi Beach in Australia, is a reminder to all men, that you need to be physically strong, aware of your situational surroundings and ready to act for the good of your loved ones and innocents around you.

The man, Ahmed, the hero, was a relatively big man. Big men have a natural strength that comes from being large. But most men need to work out to be strong.

-        Men, you need to be physically fit and strong, so that if you need to wrestle an attacker you can do it successfully. Many men remember how strong they were once, in their lives, but this fades rapidly if you are not a physical labourer or do not work out.  

-        Getting strong means lifting weights, walking or doing other cardiovascular exercise regularly. Start with 10 push-ups a day, do that for a week, and then in stages work up to 50 push ups, minimum, a day. That is not a lot. Walk on the treadmill or the street 30 minutes 5 times a week, minimum, so you have some endurance in your legs. Better yet, lift some dumb bells and bench press regularly as well. Build upper body strength.

-        You might need to carry a loved one out of trouble. Be aware of this. You are responsible to carry your wife, your daughter or small son, if needed. Make sure you can. I once joked in a sermon, “How strong do you need to be need you be? Well, how much does your wife weigh?” There is your guide. It is not really a joke, though. 

-        Do some personal self-defence courses, if you have not already. Learn about what you should and should not do in a dangerous situation. And then practice in your mind how you would respond if you were in a terrible situation. 

-        Be situationally aware. Not paranoid. But be alert. If someone suspicious is walking behind you, be alert, alter how you walk. Shift your pace. Just be aware, be present in the situation. Just this itself can make all massive difference.

And pray to God that you are prepared to act and never have to. No one ever wants to be in such a situation. But men, our society is not as safe as it once was. We have a responsibility to be strong. This is actually a command in the Bible for men, that we be strong, it is not optional, unless of course you have some kind of debilitating injury.

Remember this, it is the police officer's job to deal with these situations, but you might find you don't have that option. Maybe they are late to the scene, or you are put in a situation of confrontation where you need to protect your family. This is not impossible in our world, and it is especially not impossible with the way our world is going.

Don't be irresponsible by letting yourself be physically weak.

Praise God for men like Ahmed, who step up when they are needed.