Take Courage

Wimps, Wildmen, and Warriors (part 2)

I think men fall into one of these three categories. Each type results from both a way of thinking and behavioral choices. A man can grow out of the first two types or fall out of the third type depending on a few things. A man may think he is one type, but his words and actions may show that he is another type. Sadly, sometimes men settle for far less than the ideal.

I don’t want to be overly critical as I present my views. As long as Jesus is Lord there is hope for change and growth in maturity. This may be somewhat painful for some readers. But a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. Let’s look at it as if we are rescuing some men who have potential. So, what’s a wimp? Is “wimp” even in the dictionary?

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary has this entry for Wimp: Pronunciation: \`wimp\; Function: noun; Etymology: origin unknown; date: 1920; a weak, cowardly, or ineffectual person. Wimp out: Function: intransitive verb; Date: 1981; to behave like a wimp, to chicken out; especially to choose the easiest course of action.

From these definitions we could say that a wimp is a weak, cowardly man. He is ineffectual, chickens out and looks for the easy decision and/or course of action. It doesn’t sound like he would build confidence in others. It also doesn’t sound like you would want to follow someone like this. So what might be some characteristics of a wimpy man?

First, I think a wimp is a whiner. A wimp will always have something to whine about. They will even find a reason to criticize another man’s success. Second, they play the blame game. Wimps are irresponsible and have to have someone or something to blame for their problems. Of course it’s not their fault!

 Next, wimps are fearful of risks. They are the kind of guys who won’t honestly tell you what they think at the beginning of a project. But let something go wrong and they will tell you all the reasons they knew it would never work. They fear active involvement. If something does not work out they don’t want to get blamed.

They also look for the easy way out. They will avoid sacrifice and loss of comfort regardless of the cost to personal integrity. When looking for guidance they find answers in the easy way. The easier the better and more peace to them or so they think.

Lastly, they are afraid of being found out. They sense that there is something they want to be like, but they are afraid of the responsibility of masculinity. They are afraid of real men or warriors. Wimps don’t like to be challenged. They don’t necessarily like to lose but they are willing to lose masculinity for personal comfort.

Real men, real warriors can spot a wimp. They can hear the wimp’s whine. They can see the wimp’s behavior. The real man balances tenderness with toughness. He balances compassion with courage. The warrior is willing to serve and sacrifice. A warrior can lift someone up or stoop down to help someone out. A real man is humble and can give credit away, yet he is also ambitious and wants to be successful. A real man can work with someone he may not like because he respects him. They trust each other to do their best. A real man is everything a wimp is not. Wimp’s know this too. They will usually try to avoid real men.

In the last paragraph you can read part of my understanding of a godly man or a warrior. I will elaborate on that more in the near future. Hopefully I have given you something to think about. But there are some questions I would like to leave you with and hope you will come back next week to look over my thoughts and answers.

So are there Biblical examples of wimps? If so, are there examples of wimps changing and becoming warriors? Are there examples of a godly man helping a wimpy man become a warrior? What is involved in the change process? Or is it o.k. to be a wimp? You know, once a wimp, always a wimp. Or is that last statement a lie that the devil would like a wimp to believe? I invite you back next week for part 3.

Be encouraged,

Bill (fellow-laborer)

(Romans 15:13; Jeremiah 32:27)

Copyright: Bill Mazey