How does it look like to become a man? How does the journey of manhood look like? If becoming a man is like a tree that is growing all it’s life from stage to stage, becoming the tree it already is, then how does that look in your life?
After finding out that becoming the man I already am is a life long journey, those were the next questions that I started asking myself.
As mentioned in the last blog, for a tree it’s all about how far it can go (grow) in becoming the tree it already is. On that life long growth journey, the tree goes through different stages. It starts as a seed, then becomes a fresh sprout, grows into a young tree, and then into a mighty tree. But how does that look like in our lives? What are the stages of manhood that I grow through on my journey of becoming the man I already am in my new born spirit?
If we look at the Hebrew language in which the Old Testament is written, we find that there are six different words used for ”man”. Each of them describes a different kind of stage in manhood.
Adam is the ”creational male”, Zakar the ”phallic male”, Gibbor a ”warrior”, Enosh describes the ”wounded male”, Ish is a ”mature man” and Zaken means a ”respected sage”.
John Eldredge describes these 6 stages very fitting as 1) the beloved son, 2) the cowboy, 3) the warrior, 4) the lover, 5) the king and 6) the sage.
I really like these descriptions, they paint a powerful picture of the stages that we as men grow through on our journey to unfold the full potential of the man God created in us.
Lets take a quick look at each stage:
1. The Beloved Son
This is a young boy who experiences his father unconditional delight and love. In this stage, the boy’s heart gets settled in that he is unconditionally loved for who he is, that his father is proud of him and greatly delights in him.
2. The Cowboy
In his teen years, the young man discovers adventure and action, and finds out that he is created for it. Because he knows that he is unconditionally loved, he is not afraid of failure. He discovers his boldness and strength, ventures out into the world to explore it.
3. The Warrior
Not afraid of adventure and being confident in his strength, the man learns to focus his strength on one cause, to fight for something. Discovering that he is meant to live for something bigger than himself, he learns resilience, how to sacrifice and how to serve. This stage is ideally lived under the guidance of an experienced King.
4. The Lover
Knowing how to fight, the man is ready for the female – where he can be entrusted with God’s daughter, to fight for and take care of her. The Man learns to lay down his life for her, and to live an unselfish, sacrificial life. He can be entrusted with the responsibility and leadership of his household. Knowing he is unconditionally loved he is able to unconditionally love his bride.
5. The King
Having shown that he can be entrusted with his bride, God can entrust him with more of Jesus bride and more influence in the Kingdom of God. He is ready to take on the responsibility and leadership over his kingdom inside the Kingdom of God, to grow and expand it. The King is also leading young warriors that serve God under him.
6. The Sage
Being experienced and having gained a lot of wisdom throughout His life, the sage is a man that kings come to for counsel and to learn from. The sage is leaving a legacy on earth through what he is imparting into kings, who again will pass that on to the warriors they are leading.
As you can see, the stages build upon each other, are intertwined and flow into each other. In each stage, God is preparing us men for the next. We also never stop functioning in the former stages. We never stop delighting in the unconditional love of God as our father.
I love 1.Cor. 13,11 which paints a powerful picture of this lifelong growth process going through the stages of growth: ”When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (NKJV)
Understanding these stages, and finding myself in them makes me excited for the process! It paints a vision of what God has for me, and builds passion to be faithful in this season and stage, knowing there is more ahead. God is preparing you right now to initiate you for more! What an exciting journey and lifelong adventure God has prepared for us men!
Committing to this journey of growth opens for God to maximize your impact for His Kingdom.
Berets of Light 