Do you have a vision for manhood? If you are a woman reading this, do you have a vision for what you hope the men in your life should be or perhaps even what you are raising your son to be? If you are a man reading this, do you have a vision for what you should be as a godly man and what you should be calling other men up to be? I recently read Brant Hansen’s book, The Men We Need, and I believe his vision for manhood is helpful:
We men are at our best when we are ‘keepers of the garden.’ This means we are protectors and defenders and cultivators. We are at our best when we champion the weak and vulnerable. We are at our best when we use whatever strength we have to safeguard the innocent and provide a place for people to thrive. This is the job Adam was given: keep the garden.
Brant Hansen, The Men We Need
That’s pretty simple. What should men be? They should be keepers of the garden. Because good men exist, the world should be a little safer and a little more enjoyable.
I really appreciate Hansen’s definition (and his book) because it isn’t rooted in a particular kind of masculinity or even a particular kind of man. By his own admission, Hansen is non-athletic and not exactly physically imposing. But, a man doesn’t have to be a particular kind of person to fulfill the vision God gave to Adam. Men do not have to be athletes or warriors or hunters or musicians. But, a godly man does have to live his life in surrender to the Lord and be willing to show up.
What a man must be is willing and a little courageous. A man must be willing to step in when the moment calls for action. Keepers of the garden are active, engaged, and attentive. Keepers of the garden are not passive. Keepers of the garden are not abusive or destructive.
Keepers of God’s garden are cultivators and protectors. Gardeners plow and build and plant and water. Gardeners keep away pests and predators. Gardeners get their hands dirty and they go to bed tired. Godly men do the same thing in their world and among the people God has placed them with. Godly men cultivate the world around them making it safer, happier, more creative, and more orderly.
We need men who will keep the garden and who will show up as God’s servants to do God’s work. We do not need arrogant men or abusive men or “toxic” men. The men we need are the men who will tend God’s garden and not their own. The men we need are not building their own resume, but are instead more interested in building others up.
If you are a man, seek to be the kind of man who tends God’s garden. If you are raising men, remind them of their responsibility to tend God’s garden and help them grow into their calling.
