A Man's Admission of Guilt...

"Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble." Job 14:1 NKJV I'll go ahead & say up front that this is mainly geared towards a female audience. Be advised & proceed with caution... I'll just put it out there and say that men can be complete idiots at times. I can say that because I'm a man & I have moments, sometimes extended periods, of complete lunacy. While I won't try to defend our stupidity, our arrogance, our obnoxiousness, our machismo--I would like offer somewhat of an explanation. The reality is that men have many insecurities, many weaknesses, many failures, and many troubles in life. The problem is that society tells us that we have to be John Wayne--rough & tough, taking no crap, strong, and can't show any emotion that might project a sign of weakness. We've kinda been set up to fail by the media because of the perceived model & expectation of manhood that is projected upon us. You know how you ladies feel about the image of female perfection the media establishes that most can never hope to live up to? Well, men are in the same boat--an unrealistic expectation has been set that cannot be met. With all that said and an explanation (not an excuse) established, I still say that men can be complete idiots. So, as a representative of the male gender, I want to offer an apology to females in general. I'm sorry that we have difficulty taking off our mask & allowing you to see the real person we are with all our flaws, faults, & insecurities. If we really let you in, you'll know that we are weak, that we hurt, that we struggle, that we sometimes cry--but that we fear you'll see us as unmanly if those parts of our character are revealed. So, in our attempts to "be a man" we often hurt those closest to us with our words, with our actions, and sometimes with the lack of both. While I am not that person now & I'm grateful to God for that fact, there was a time in my life that I used, abused and took advantage of females in an attempt to prove my manhood. If I could travel back in time, I would attempt to undo some of the damage I caused...but I can't. All I can do at this point is say I'm sorry and ask for forgiveness--not only from God but from womankind as a whole. Ladies, the man or men who hurt you need your forgiveness. They may never ask for it or admit they desire it, but they still need it. Aside from that, you need to release the hold their damage has on you. Unforgiveness harms you far more than the other party. In releasing him, you free yourself... In Matthew 6, as part of The Lord's Prayer, "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" (vs 12) indicates that if we want forgiveness, we must forgive others. As a matter of Fact, Jesus went on to explain just that in verses 14-15, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." I make no excuses for the pain you have endured at the hands of men. And by all means, you should establish proper boundaries to avoid further hurt. However, please forgive mankind in general for the damage we have done in the past. The reality is that we are all insecure little boys trying to live as men with no idea how to go about it. Men need to return to the Bible for guidance so they can be the leaders, the providers--the men that God created them to be. Love us in spite of ourselves. Forgive us of our shortcomings, our failures, and for the pain we've caused you. We're clueless idiots and we're sorry for the hurt & pain we've inflicted up on you, even though most of us won't admit it. Forgive us, if for no other reason than to free yourself... Blessings! Tony