Men are not in competition with women; they complement women
Pastor of the First Assembly of God, Raphael Jackman
Pastor of the First Assembly of God, Raphael Jackman

– Local pastor shares thoughts on men’s roles in honour of International Men’s Day

EVERY year, November 19 is observed as “International Men’s Day.”
This year’s observance was held under the theme, “Gender Equality is the Goal,Not Female Dominance.”

At times like these, it is worthwhile to hear from notable voices in society, their perspective on the issues surrounding the challenges men face in the modern world and possible solutions.

Speaking with Pastor of the First Assemblies of God, Raphael Jackman, he expressed his belief that the most influential men are the ones who have major challenges in life, but still have resolved that they can’t go forward without seeking help from like-minded individuals.

He noted that only the dead have no challenges and rising up to overcome life’s challenges demands the attitude of not giving up or giving in.

“To overcome demands an assessment of the situation and the Godly wisdom to see it both spiritually and naturally, and choose to use the wisdom that is superior to the natural world’s way of addressing challenges,” the pastor explained.

“Success can and is viewed through different lenses, depending on the belief orientation of the individual (different strokes for different folks). For me, success is measured with the yardstick of fulfilling my God-given purpose, which demands that I maintain a spiritual outlook on every aspect of my life… and not conforming to the natural world’s system of measurement.”

The pastor reiterated the fact that menfolk must realise that they are not in competition with our female counterparts. It should be clear, therefore, that in every man’s mind, they are not superior to anyone else, but are given the responsibility to complement females. It is achieved best by serving them with excellence, which in turn opens the heart/mind of female counterparts to respond in like manner, he said.

He detailed and spoke to the issue of overcoming life’s challenges, while at the same time giving way to new opportunities.
“Overcoming every challenge demands having a different perspective of the challenges, which gives way to new opportunities,” he said, explaining that crisis often gives way to an opportunity to make things better, or watch it get worst.

“When I consider a crisis as an opportunity, my renewed mind can only think of the purpose or reason this crisis is manifested in my life. In my past, I would blame myself and others for my situation, but I have also learnt the principle, ‘whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap’,” he said.

Teaching Point for men
As a religious leader, the pastor naturally had some advice from a religious perspective on how men can overcome their challenges. First, he advised that men must speak positive or negative things into our lives.

“It is God who dictates what we have to deal with in this life, hence, he protects us from some things, and he guides us through some, and delivers us from some,” he said. He added that manhood is God-created, so it must be realistic; it would be wise to accept who you are created to be.

“I have seen men get married instead of living home, runaway husbands and fathers return to their families, and wayward boys accept counsel and have found their niche and become an assets in society,” he said. “Men who were contemplating suicide have a change of heart. There is one way that I know that can make a man influence for good and that’s by finding his purpose …influencing other men to look forward to the next generation to who discover who he is, and what his responsibilities are as a son, brother, uncle, nephew, and last, but not least, a husband.”

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