"Let us focus on the young men, whom we see are the Warriors. They are strong (or valiant), the Word of God lives in them, and they have overcome the evil one. That's good. To cultivate this in a young man... it might help to think along three lines: Bravery, Conviction, and an Epic Story." We looked at Bravery, today let's examine Conviction.
Conviction is crucial for a young man to have and live by. Again, "A man will follow his own convictions to his death, but he'll only follow another man's convictions until he steps in manure." Conviction is what empowers a warrior’s bravery to come out. It gives him a context for it and a reason for it. It gives what he does a point.
In the movie Secondhand Lions there is a scene where the one uncle, Garth, asks his brother, Hub, "All your life you've never been afraid of anything. So what's eating at you now? Getting old? Dying?" His reply, "Being useless. When we were younger there was always a point." A man must have conviction in his life. He must have something to live for.
If you look at Warrior cultures down through history there was an oath they took, a creed they lived by. For the Spartans it was, "Go tell the Spartans passerby, that here by Spartan Law we lie." They would never retreat or surrender, it was victory or death. In their culture the mother would present her son with his shield, and as she gave it to him she spoke these words, "With it, or on it." He was to come back alive and carrying it or dead being carried on it. The shield was the reason they were so successful in battle, and it was also the first thing you would want to abandon if you decided to run. It was driving the point home of victory in battle or death.
"There is something in a noble oath, a code, a cause, that stirs the heart of a man. To learn, for example, that samurai means 'to serve.' To be dangerous and powerful in order to serve. As with the samurai, nearly every warrior society down through the ages had a code of some sort. After all, we aren’t raising reckless warriors; we are raising men who fight for a cause."
Without a cause what's the point? A cause is what can keep you going when things get hard, and when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Conviction and a cause keep hope alive. It gives purpose to things that seem like a waste. It keeps you going when everyone else around you is giving up. We need conviction, we need a cause. And the cause helps to channel the strength of the Warrior.
"Young men typically have a strong sense of justice... Go with it. Teach him the honor of right and wrong. Let him see it in you. Let him get angry over things. His thinking tends to be black and white, which at this stage is just fine, because he needs to confront evil and take his stand against it. The young man needs a cause and a King... Hopefully, the King will guide the zeal of the young Warrior into the right channels. You might be the King who leads your sons, and together, you serve the King of all kings."
Conviction is what guides a man's sense of right and wrong, and it's crucial that we pour into our sons what God says about it. The world will offer so many things. It will water down His truth and try to get a young Warrior to compromise on the standards of holiness and righteousness. He must have conviction on what is true and right if he is to survive. And it is at this stage of his life that his own personal faith begins to really develop.
It is here, as Warriors, that, "they come to take their faith seriously at this stage. It is no longer 'my parents" faith,' it is mine now. It might happen in high school, but more often in college. We should not attempt to rush this. It needs to come organically from within." A Warrior must develop his own relationship with the King of kings. A father can only take him so far, but he plays an important role, because what a boy sees in his father will shape his view of God. And forcing this on a young man, engaging him in something that for the large part is ritual and habit, will do a great deal of harm.
"How do we help them not just know, but love the Word of God? Rote memorization won't do it, and I've counseled too many young men whose souls grew numb to the Scriptures because of Bible class... The greatest enemy of true faith has always been religion, and a religious attitude is not what we are after. Let them see your love for the Scriptures. Let them see the Word of God dwell in you richly. Talk about it naturally, as you bring it into daily life. Teach the young man to have time with God that is real and meaningful." This is something he must witness and then develop on his own. He is unique, and God will speak to him uniquely. Our job is simply to model a life that loves and serves God. Our job is to live in a relationship with God, and allow our sons to witness what it looks like. God will guide him into what his own looks like.
We must guide Warriors to conviction if they are truly to become Men of God. "He will need a cause. He will need battles to fight... They need to see it modeled, and they need a story they can be invited into." That is where we are headed next.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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