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Defining True Manhood By Natalie Cherie Campbell Church Magazines
With the voices of the world shouting different definitions of manhood, it can be difficult to know how to “rise up and be men.” As a little girl, I remember wondering why kids at school made fun of boys who cried. My daddy was big and strong, and he cried all the time. As I grew older, one of my friends was a boy who took more time than I did choosing outfits. When I got married, I quickly realized that my husband was a better cook than I was. While I loved that my dad was emotional, my friend fashion savvy, and my husband domestically talented, I noticed moments when they didn’t seem to quite fit the “manhood mold.” It was obvious that there was a gap between society’s expectation of masculinity and the manhood of my father, husband, and friends. Perhaps more damaging than the gap between good men and the world’s arbitrary ideals and low expectations is the gap between the way Heavenly Father views His children and the way we view each other. Society portrays men as noncommittal and shouts confusing messages such as “men have to be tough,” “men have it easy with gender privilege,” and “men can’t control themselves.” With the pervasiveness of messages that contradict Heavenly Father’s expectations, it can be extraordinarily difficult to decipher the basis of true manhood. Men will find clear direction as they remember the Lord’s expectations, strive for the bar that He has set, and recognize that true manhood is inextricably connected to true womanhood. God’s High Expectations
Knowing the Lord’s expectations of men is the first step toward striving for true manhood. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles put it simply when he said, “Our Heavenly Father is a God of high expectations.” The Lord 1
desires for us to be righteous and to wisely exercise our agency. He expects us to strive for perfection and to fulfill our roles in the family. Such expectations can be daunting, 2
but we can rely on Christ and His Atonement to succeed. Unfortunately, most of us get stuck in neutral at some time or another. For example, when men lose sight of the Lord’s expectations for them, it can be easy to focus on the