It's Hard Being a Man

I tend not to watch Pastor TD Jakes because his lisp is off-putting (yes, I've said it before: he sounds like Winnie the Pooh.) But on Father's Day I turned on TBN and though he was preaching about men, he said things women really need to hear.

To start off he shared a secret that women will never know because we are, well, women.
"It is hard being a man," he said. I think, ladies, that we should keep this in mind. Absolutely, it's difficult to be a woman as well, but in a country where most black children are born to single mothers, we should understand how much harder that makes it on a young boy who can't learn how to be a man from mommy. (And really, girls, I look at it like this: if I didn't have a father, who from my childhood would I have had to look up to as a good male role model? Not too many solid choices, and you likely can say the same...)

Jakes also said men have fewer role models to look up to for help navigating life. A mentor is so crucial because you need someone to see your potential and help nurture it. He said many men are just kids because no one looked them in the eye and said, "I see the king in you." External recognition of who you can become keeps you from straying toward vices that can stop you from achieving it.

So with that said, I'm not among the women out here who say there are no good men left. I know quite a few, and I'm proud of you - and whoever raised you! Life is hard for everyone, but we can't expect you to just shoulder it all and our problems too without acknowledging how much work that takes. Keep pushin', men!