Thursday, May 29, 2008

About the Business of Men




It is amazing what a boy can do if he sets his mind to it. This is an inspiring story and you will absolutely be challenged, inspired and awed:


This Is the House That David Built

What are your boys doing today? Plugged into a video game? Watching television? Hanging out with fellow teenagers?

He was only thirteen years old when he approached his father with a vision to build his very own home on the family property. Earlier that year his father had called for a father and son conference. The mission: Come up with a five year game plan to help his son David redeem the time for the glory of God.

Now, after years of listening to his father encourage him to redeem the time and prepare for his future marriage and life work, something took. David decided that there was no time like the present—to build his very own house!

But that was not all. David made it clear that his mission was to build the home. This would mean that when God sent him the woman of his dreams, David would be ready to take action, to provide for her and to have a family. The decision to build a home meant tough choices. And David acknowledged that he was making a conscious choice to forgo teenage years of a dating culture, team sports, and entertainment, in exchange for making sacrifices for a woman and a future that would be years away.

So David went about the business of personally studying the building codes, of meeting with the county planning department, and of learning the nuts and bolts of putting together a great architectural plan. David wanted to take the bull by the horns and learn and lead every aspect of the project. And after some thought, his father let him do just that.

One of the benefits of the sweat and effort is that the project has forced David to think very specifically about his duties as a man, and the way he hopes to express love for the future family he hopes God will give him. This means thinking about the size of the closet his wife will need, anticipating the number of bathrooms necessary for a growing family and a home given to hospitality.

David is now sixteen, and the vision of a home is quickly becoming a reality. With a little help from his friends, and three years of perspiration, savings, hard work, and planning, David’s dream home is inching ever closer to completion.



Standing before this amazing structure built by the hands of a sixteen-year-old boy, three things came to my mind. First, fathers have a duty to encourage their boys to invest their time wisely. Dads will either guide their sons to make noble time investments, or sons will squander the precious years of their youth on the activities that will mean precious little to them in twenty years.

Second, boys need to make choices. They can invest their time in worldly folly or godly dominion. Both choices tend to yield dividends—but not of equal value.

 Third, the power of a positive example is stunning. I could not but help to thrill as I watched my own boys start to dream big dreams as one of their dear friends and peers proved that his dream was attainable.

Down with the game boys, up with the sheet rock! May God give us boys of decisive manly action who will someday be fathers of faith and fortitude.



So I ask you, dear mothers, what do you have planned for your young boys today?
























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13 comments:

courtney said...

Wow. I hope I can be that kind of parent.

June Fuentes @ A Wise Woman Builds Her Home said...

I second that!

Many blessings...

Anonymous said...

Wow, I wouldn't even think of something of this staure. Of course we want to be encouraging parents, but things like this I don't even expect of my children. Maybe we have the bar set too low.

Neither one of us grew-up in this type of upbringing and marking the trail on our own is hard to do.

How do we know what is enough, what is too much? We only have girls at this point so the part is specifically mine.

Now I'm wondering if I'm doing enough. Thanks for getting my cogs cranking. They've been a little dusty lately.

Anonymous said...

June,

Would you consider being a guest speaker on my blog? (heartforgod.wordpress.com) I have some ideas and would love to share them with you. You are welcome to email me at x_quisit_1@yahoo.com.

Sorry for this form of communication - I didn't see an email option.

Thanks, looking forward to hearing from you.

Lori

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this......I have been enjoying reading your blog. It has been such an encouragement to me.

Many blessings

June Fuentes @ A Wise Woman Builds Her Home said...

Dear Lori,

Thanks for commenting, I agree, I think my bar has been low and dusty lately as well--I had trouble checking out your blog--I will email you soon, its been a bit of a busy week for us, but thanks for thinking of me.

Many blessings...

Thespia said...

Hmm...

My first thought is: that's great if she wants to live on the property with his family. But what if she doesn't?

Brenda said...

This is an amazing story! I would NEVER think such a thing was possible. Not in a million years.

I believe on the girly side of things this involves hope chests. Now I wonder what else?

Unknown said...

Wonderful post. Thank you for sharing! This is something for us to consider with our son.

Anonymous said...

I recently purchased several books on courtship from Castleberry Farms (which I discovered on your blog - lovely books!). This story about a "real life" David is perfect to go with them. Being able to show our children someone their age trusting God to the extent that he is building a house ready for his future family - a picture is worth a thousand words. Thank you so much for finding these and sharing them, June.

Kari said...

thank you for the encouragement today. Our son is 5. I hope to steer his eyes heavenward. I will link to your blog today. thank you.

Wani said...

What a rare gift to have learned such values at such an early age. He's going to make a great husband to a lucky girl someday!

ladyakofa said...

I'm thrilled by your vision for motherhood. I'm not yet a mother or a wife, but I've always had a heart for sons... probably because I don't have a biological brother.

Preparing a son's heart very early must be a great privilege.

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