The Five Marks of a Man Seven Day Devotion by Brian TomeSample

Day 3

Men Take a Stand

Matthew 7:13-14

Winston Churchill is attributed as saying, “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something some time in your life.” But boys don’t want enemies. They don’t want anyone to dislike them. 

The moments that define us as men are when we choose to do something difficult that we know won’t be a popular choice. Today I’m most disappointed about those times in my life when I had a transcendent, primal awareness of what needed to be done but failed to take a minority position.

Once a person in leadership at something I was heading up had authority that didn’t match their character. This person was divisive and built walls between people by sowing seeds of distrust. What disturbs me isn’t just that I didn’t see it, but that I ignored counsel from those who did, those who took a minority position and spoke truth. As a result, there was eventual carnage.

Waiting for a bad situation to resolve itself rather than handling it right away always results in more pain. Conversely, the more experience we have in taking a minority position, the easier it becomes. It’s great when you can be in the majority, but never allow the majority to dictate your beliefs and your actions.

Recently, I came across an article about a man named August Landmesser. He was a shipbuilder in Nazi Germany. There is a famous photo of him at a ship dedication in which everyone is doing the salute to Hitler. Everyone except him. The majority of Germans in 1936 thought they were doing the right thing by going along with the Nazi agenda. This guy took a minority position and it cost him. He was arrested and eventually drafted. Nobody knows what happened to him. And why did he refuse, by the way? Because he had a Jewish wife. That dude was a man. That man was right, and that man was in the vast minority. 

Guys, think about whatever it is right now that’s on your heart in which you are in the minority and need to stand strong. Take a minority position in the little things so that when a big thing comes along, you’ve developed the muscles you need to meet it head-on.

What discipline can you build into your life to strengthen your ability to take a minority position and withstand criticism?