For the Men by Susan L.

  I truly hope I don't come across as a man hater. Yes, at times I struggle being around them as you all know. Yes, I am as wary as a deer and slow to trust the other half. But hate? No. Challenged to let go of preconceived ideas? Yes.
  The Lord has brought some wonderful men into my life, even if they aren't connected to me personally. I have seen the love they have for their spouses and children. I have seen the gentle side. I have seen the little boy all men have within.
  Compassion has overflowed as I witness their struggles. The Lord has set in a place where I can listen to their heart's stories. He has blessed me by allowing me to minister to those men as a friend. In being there for them, my own heart is being healed.
  Bless these men who go against cultural "norms" and allow themselves to be vulnerable.
  Last Christmas the Centre delivered Christmas gifts to all the people living in shelters or domicile housing in our area. There were nearly 650 small presents for men and women. It broke my heart to see the lack of funding for men's shelters. The poverty was shocking. The lack of hope was incredibly sad. It made me wish a couple of times for the finances to tear down the tired, ramshackle houses these forgotten men existed in and be able to build them a new home.
  It also sad that there is such a lack of services for men. It's a whole lot harder for men to qualify for any sort of assistance. The unwritten rules are a whole lot tougher. The written rules are rarely bent. There are a limited amount of shelters. Men are not welcome at the places who help women overcome sexual abuse even if they have been abused themselves. There is limited help for either gender who are the abusers. (99.9 percent of the time, an abuser has been abused.) The list could go on regarding what is not available when compared to the resources out there for women.
  My own struggles aren't really against men. They are against the conditioned responses to toxic lessons ingrained over twenty years of marriage by a broken man. His occasional foray into scripture was to simply ram home that women must obey their spouses. The rest was never mentioned.
  Thank You, Lord, I can acknowledge that now: his brokenness. I pray he finds You.
  "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, house cannot stand." Mk 3:24-25