Helping Hurting Men

Volume 322
May 4, 2009

It doesn’t take a genius to see that a lot of men are hurting right now. Just today I spoke with a leader whose company has fired half of their 600 employees. If you haven’t experienced a significant challenge this year – you certainly know men who have.

As leaders, we should see suffering as opportunity. Many men are open to answering questions now that they weren’t even willing to ask 2 years ago. Why not be a voice of hope and help for men you meet who are going through a crisis?

I’m certainly no expert, but here are a few biblically based thoughts on how you might help reach men in need…

Pray. Ask God to give you opportunities to bring a word of encouragement into the life of a hurting man.

Be aware. Look for signs of trouble underneath the façade.

Ask. “Is there something going on that you would like to talk about?” “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Pursue. Most guys won’t tell you the whole truth in a three minute conversation. They will likely wait to see if you care enough to stay after them. You may not get the whole story until the fifth, tenth, or even twentieth conversation.

Listen. As much as anything, most guys just need to know someone cares.

Point to Jesus. Our first thought when going through suffering is, “How do I get out of this?” Help the men you talk with ask the question, “How can I find Jesus in this?” God often uses pain to reveal our idols. What a suffering man needs most of all is to find his hope in Jesus Christ.

“The harvest is plentiful,” and perhaps now more than ever. Will you be a worker in His harvest field?

With you in the battle for men’s souls,

President, Man in the Mirror