Men are tough, made of steel and we can and must press through those tough times. But what about men being gentle? A man must learn to be a gentleman and lead his family with compassion and care. I mentioned yesterday that 1.000,000 men walk out on their home each year, and many of them never say good-bye, leaving over One million children in single family homes. Today I want to discuss the Velvet quality of men
Men, we have a call to father the fatherless. I hope you are still paying attention to me. I want to share with you 7 characteristics of what makes men of velvet.
Yesterday we realized that dads need to have a heart of steel, today I tell you it must be covered in velvet. Let me quickly give you some characteristics of velvet.
1. A man of velvet cares.
Caring takes time. Time to know, time to express with love and cover with compassion the needs of your family. A man of velvet understands what intimacy is and expresses it in his marriage relationship. By the way, intimacy is much more than just in sex. Caring means spending time with your wife and your children so you know what they need and what they desire.
2. A man of velvet shows concern.
Caring and concern just about go hand in hand. When you genuinely care, then you will have concern for your well being and that of your family and of others. A concerned man will do what is necessary and possible to alleviate the situations of others, to see them rise above themselves to a higher level. A concern for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
3. A man of velvet is considerate.
Considerate people listen. A considerate man knows how to treat a woman. We have men who don’t know how to open car doors. Considerate men know how to speak. I am amazed at the foul language we hear today and how offensive it is. This is not considerate of others.
4. Men of velvet know how to communicate.
You have to listen to your wife, you need to learn to listen to your kids and to others. Buy a card every once in a while and give it to your wife or child to express appreciation and love. Get some flowers for your wife or daughter, believe it or not, this is a great way to communicate your love to them.
5. Men of velvet know how to conduct themselves.
A Real Man knows what it means to be a gentleman with their wife and kids. Do you practice chivalry and set a good example for your children? Beleive me, it’s fun when you do it in public, but do you do it even when you are at home? Are you a gentleman when only the family sees you? Conduct is both a public and private matter.
6. Men of Velvet correct in love.
Correction is not pleasant, but it is required and it should never be done in anger, never in a scolding manner. Correction comes in love, where it hurts you as much as it hurts the one you are correcting, you know you are doing it right.
7. Finally, men of velvet know how to cry.
A real man will cry when his child fails at something! He will shed tears when his children sin or disappoint. A tear will always precede pulling out a strap and getting mad! A man of velvet knows when to just sit down and cry. When your wife is going through a rough time and her emotions are riding the roller coaster, can you cry? Can you stand in the church and cry, or are you too tough to let the tears flow?
I know we have men of steel and velvet following manlytraining.com; men in training, and men that are passing that training on to their children. I know in my life, I have tried, failed and tried again. No one is perfect, but we serve a God who can get us back on track.
I believe that one of the greatest compliments a man can receive is when his boys are grown, and they say to him, Dad, I want to be a man like you! Or if he has girls, his daughters would say, Dad, I want to marry someone like you.
Men, let us strive to be men of steel and men of velvet.
