A Manhood Definition

I have been in a number of meetings where the question came up many times about a definition of manhood. Many of the meetings were where men were asking questions because they had young boys and they wanted to know how to raise them and other meetings were with authors or speakers who were imparting their knowledge and wisdom about this topic and its importance.

While reading through a book I recently purchased I came on a good manhood definition. The book provides some explanation as to how the authors arrived at this definition that is helpful in understanding how a boy advances through puberty to manhood in ways other than physical.

The physical part is the easier part. Muscles develop, bones grow, voices change automatically. It's the intangibles like maturity, responsibility, accountability, learning etc. that can be more difficult to acquire especially if there is no one teaching the boy / young man.

A man, regardless of age, who has learned these things and can model manhood is the best teacher for boys. Even though we all haven't had a good model in our lives we can still learn how to be good at it. It takes effort and commitment and a desire to become better.

 A Definition of Manhood
A man is an adult male
who accepts his masculinity
speaks and acts with maturity
embraces responsibility
functions independently
can lead a family faithfully
and recognizes his accountability
as an image bearer of God
from 'The Resolution for Men' by Stephen & Alex Kendrick with Randy Alcorn

Most everything in life is a process. Some processes occur as a normal part of life and are automatic. Some require us to participate and to make decisions and take steps along the way. For manhood it's about the choices we make along the way.