The Men of Iron Minute

by Steve Glick | Director of Marketing Strategy

Why Men Must Embrace the Difficult Road to Growth

Pastor Paul Andrulonis shared this statement Monday on the Men of Iron Podcast and it really stuck with me….

“Men are called to do something that is difficult, often times something that nobody wants to do.”

We’ve been talking a lot about the need for men to step up and lead and what it looks like to be the spiritual leader of your home. It sounds great in theory but actually doing it is the hard part. We are called to do something that is difficult, that a lot of men don’t want to do. Being the spiritual leader of your home is not easy, it’s going to take a lot of work and intentionality. It’s much easier to sit on the sideline, and ignore a calling that God placed within you to lead your wife, kids and family.

I think back to the year before I got married. My wife and I were freshly engaged and I was preparing physically, mentally, and spiritually for what that would look like to lead my wife. To be honest I was scared. There were already some issues bubbling up to the surface that threatened to harm our marriage before it even started. I knew I needed some guidance. I was still involved with Men of Iron at my church at the time, but had spent the last two years as a mentor. I felt the need to go through the program as a protégé again. To find a man a season ahead of me at church who would walk with me through this important season of my life.

I look back on that year-long mentorship as a major mile-marker in my life. I was paired with a guy at church named Lou.

Lou was a God-send, he was the perfect mentor and friend at the perfect time.

Like I had mentioned, there were some issues bubbling up at the surface that I could either address head on or ignore. And to be honest, I wanted to take the easy way out and ignore them hoping they would just go away. The crazy thing is, Lou had walked through a very similar situation years prior in his own marriage. He challenged me to take the hard road, to do the thing that nobody wants to do. That challenge and that mentorship with Lou was life-changing. I did the hard thing and had the hard conversations and it allowed for Ashley and I’s marriage to start out on a strong foundation.

In the end, stepping into the role of leadership is a commitment to do the hard things—the things that are uncomfortable, difficult, and often times scary. But it’s an opportunity to embrace the difficult and step into the life that God has for you.

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