I’m a man,
But I can change,
If I have to,
I guess.(“The Man Prayer” from the Red Green Show on PBS)

‘It’s a man-thing’ is the mantra often heard on the lips of women when talking about things men do, but women don’t understand . . . i.e. using your best bath towel to mop up the oil that overflowed onto the garage floor when changing oil. Or perhaps it was when you noticed the man in your life carefully polishing his golf clubs before going out to the course, just before getting into the truck that is rarely washed and never vacuumed which will take him there. Or could it have been when you happened upon his workbench heaped high with tools, bits of wood and sawdust, pieces of broken drill bits and dried up paint brushes, and you decided to helpfully ‘organize him’ only to discover in the midst of his later rantings that there was an ‘order’ to what was piled high enough to reach kingdom come? Or possibly you have heard those words spoken when observing a group of men at a party who were discussing the finer points of duct tape usage and the do’s and don’ts of home repair with that excellent manly, versatile tool. Or maybe it was in that moment you discovered that, in his mind, leaving ‘one sheet of toilet paper on the roll’ automatically disqualifies him from having to change the roll of toilet paper on the dispenser . . . and never mind that you discover that bit of information just after you have taken your rightful place on the porcelain throne and have need of more than that one sheet of toilet paper left on the roll. Or could it be that the words, ‘It’s a man-thing’, found their original meaning when the first man, Adam, was channel surfing in the garden, got hungry, called out to Eve for something to eat, took a bite of the apple, then complained, not that the apple was forbidden, but that he didn’t have something to dip it in?

Red Green, from his ‘home-away-from-home’ at the ‘lodge’ (Possum Lodge) located somewhere in Canada, each week sagely declares in the midst of his many bits of advice to men who are trying hard to negotiate the difficult turns of existence in a world monitored by women (mostly our own wives, but not limited to it!), “Just remember, hang in there! We’re all in this together and I’m pulling for you!”  And, each time I see it and hear those words, I lovingly look at my wife and say, “Thank God somebody understands and cares!” (referring, of course, to Red Green), to which she responds, “I’m glad you noticed.” (I have found that it is sometimes better to be misunderstood and be silent about it, than to correct the misunderstanding and remove all doubt of my insanity.)

I tell you all of this as a way of getting you to think about your life as a Christian: What behaviors do people observe in you which can only be identified as ‘A Christian-thing’? There are certain things about men that just cannot, should not, and will not be changed. It’s just the way men are: ‘It’s a man-thing.’ Correspondingly, though I’m fairly certain most women would not want to own up to it, there are a fair number of things about women that just cannot, should not, and will not be changed. It’s just the way women are: ‘It’s a woman-thing.’ And, respecting the integrity of God’s handiwork and the certainty of God’s intentionality in having people work the way they do, it would be nearly sinful to try and change the natural order of such behaviors. Right?

So, I ask you again, “What behaviors do people observe in you which can only be identified as ‘A Christian-thing’? 

W         Would they see it in the way you humbly go about your life of worshipful service, looking not for praise but to glorify God?

W         Or would it be in the way you steward all of God’s resources including, but not limited to, your time, your gifts, and your very life?

W         Or would it be in the way you cherish the faith experiences of others without having to always have your own story overshadow theirs?

W         Or would it be in the way you always ‘over-shop’ at the grocery store, making sure you provide for the less fortunate as carefully and intentionally as you provide for your own biological family?

W         Or would it be in the way you are always seeking to understand the Biblical story and its meaning for daily living?

W         Or would it be in the way you quietly offer a meal-time prayer without trying to make others feel uncomfortable or less than faithful if they do not?

W         Or would it be in the way you offer to hold a door for someone differently-abled or as a sign of respect to another?

W         Or would it be in the way you enjoy a beautiful sunrise or sunset with equal thought and appreciation as a rainy, cloud-filled day?

W         Or would it be in the ways you help others to discover their God-given gifts for life’s journey without making them feel ashamed for relying on your help?

W         Or would it be in the way you regard your spouse or significant other, tenderly treating them as God treats you?

W         Or would it be in the way you treat your children, or the children in your neighborhood, remembering that once you were a child and to whom it is that the Kingdom of heaven really belongs?

W         Or would it be in the way you forgive, being constantly mindful that God forgives even you?

W         Or would it be in the way you sing on the tractor, or talk on the telephone, or drive your car in the midst of rush-hour traffic?

What behaviors do people observe in you which can only be identified as ‘A Christian-thing’?  It is a notion well worth some time and thought, even as you look at men in all of their awkwardness and are quick to declare, “It’s a man-thing” or as you look at women in all of their perfection and are quick to declare, “It’s a woman-thing”, ponder for a moment what it is about you that others might note as “A Christian-thing”. I pray it’s a long, long list that takes a great deal of humility to develop, because you know God is waiting for your answer . . . and the longer it takes to answer, the more it appears to be ‘a human-thing’, rather than ‘A Christian-thing’.

To quote the nearly famous anthropologist and theologian, Red Green, one more time with one slight, but important variation:

“Just remember, hang in there! We’re all in this together and Jesus is pulling for you!”