A Good Man

,​When someone calls us a "good man" how do we react? For me, I have to lower my head and take a step back because compared to some of the really great men I have met or read about I just don't feel like I measure up. Even though today I am in a much better place, the evolution from bad man to
A Good Man leaves many scars.

Then again, what looks like A Good Man to some may turn out to be quite different. A man after God's own heart did many bad things.  Our leaders whom we sometimes idolize make many bad decisions. Our Fathers may not act like a good man and often send us in a different direction. We see preachers and priests who are supposed to be our heroes fall in way too many cases.

On the other hand a couple of really good men in the Bible had great mothers, Jesus and John The Baptist. We know much about Mary and her angelic qualities, maybe less about Elizabeth, but we see the quality of their offspring. So we can talk about the influence of a father but how about a Godly mother and grandmother?

Countless men I have met in recovery talk about their grandmother's influence and prayers. Scripture points out at least once about a caring grandma. But for me, the one who comes just below the influence of a forgiving God is my Mom.

She was the one who kept believing in me even when my decisions were very poor. She was the one who showed me what God in the flesh was like, accountable  yet encouraging, loving no matter what and always there to help me get back on track when I went off course. She never gave up on me, never stopped believing that one day I would be that good man she always saw inside of me.

They say behind every good man is a good woman but that may be an understatement. How about in the heart of A Good Man is the influence of a really good woman?

I think I just found another one!