Here at the Resource Center, we offer free care for both men and women facing unintended pregnancies, along with STD testing. Call 970-353-2673 to schedule your FREE STD TEST appointment or peer-advising appointment with another man about a pregnancy. And in the meantime here’s a post by a guy, for the guys.
There is a big difference between ownership and responsibility. Ownership might mean you have something, but it doesn’t mean you take care of it. Our selfish human nature is prone to always want. Men want the latest technology, the most powerful truck, a sweet pad, and the hottest babe. The problem with mere desire is that without self-control it will never know when enough is enough. Our desires are not the problem, our lack of responsibility and self-control over our desires is where our problems come from.
Responsibility differs from ownership in that it doesn’t merely obtain the thing it wants, but it actually cares for it, uses it rightly, and exercises wisdom with it. A guy may own the fastest sports car, but we’ve seen the fail videos of the numbskull crashing it because of his carelessness and irresponsibility.
A true man takes responsibility for everything that is placed under his ownership and care. This principle needs to guide and govern every aspect of a man’s existence. From the smallest details of keeping his home tidy and his personal hygiene, to the bigger issues of his budget and sexuality.
A wife must be cared and provided for, sacrificially loved, gently tended, and cherished. Lust turns a woman into something to be consumed. This can lead to the shockwaves of an unplanned pregnancy, abortion, the spread of STD’s, neglect and abuse.
Responsibility, on the other hand, looks like a man working hard every day to make sure his wife and children have good meals, cozy beds, warm clothes, and above all his love and attention. He’s in it for the long haul. Anyone who has tried their hand at building something knows that to do the job right takes patience, focus, and deliberate diligence. There’s nothing better than working hard on a project (i.e. building a shed, growing then harvesting a garden, fixing the engine on a ’76 Corvette) and standing back to admire one’s work.
Being a husband and raising a family requires responsibility; but responsibility doesn’t mean that your desires are never satisfied. Responsibility allows your desires to be guided by wisdom. You begin to desire better things, higher ideals, and deeper joys. The quick fix meal of SPAM cannot compare to a top sirloin steak at a five-star steakhouse.
Finally, men are like a tractor trailer. Without a load in it, it is harder to drive, and more prone to being blown around by the wind. But, fill it up with the weight of a load (i.e. responsibility) and it actually drives better, and is steadier. Ownership is not a bad thing, but ownership without responsibility is a terrible thing. When you both own something and take care of it, the joy of that ownership is intensified. Unrestrained desire is a demon that will never leave you satisfied, it will convince you that more porn, more beer, more stuff, more sex, more adrenaline will satisfy you. Responsibility, however, finds the lasting joy that is found in contentment.
