Stand

My mind has been running all night; so much so that I felt the need to get out of bed at 5:43 in the morning to write a blog about it. And for those that know me... that is pretty significant!

The thought that has been troubling me as of late is the role of Husband and Father; and how often men in our society shirk off the responsibility of these rolls.

This is not really a new topic for me, but tonight (this morning) I am reminded of a scene from probably my all time favorite move: Braveheart.



In the previous scene Wallace accuses the Scottish nobles of settling for "the scraps from Longshank's table" rather than stand and fight for the freedom that belongs to them. In this scene, William Wallace tells Robert the Bruce that if he would only stand and fight that Scotland would stand with him.

I feel that this is very much like the situation I , and I am sure countless men, find myself in from time to time.

Life is not always easy and the responsibility of being a husband and father can sometimes weigh heavy on my shoulders. And it is during those times that I am faced with a decision. I can stand or I can run.

To run means that I back away from fighting for my relationship with my wife. Running means that I decide to do what feels good for me and not what is good for my marriage. Running means that I withdraw emotionally from my wife.

Running is easy.

Running is something I can do without even thinking about it.

Standing is the hard part.

Standing means that I accept the responsibility of leading my family and the possibility that I might fail. Standing means that I choose what is best and not just what feels good right now. Standing means that I press on, even if my wife is distant, hurt, or withdrawn. Standing means accepting my mistakes but vowing in my heart to be a better man today than I was yesterday.

In another scene of the movie, Wallace tells a group of men on a battlefield that they have that same choice: to run or to stand. He says that if they run away from the battle that faces them they will indeed live, but he warns them. Wallace asks them if, one day when they are old, would they wish that on that day they would have stood and fought for their freedom rather than ran away.

I have seen the damage that is inflicted when men run away, so I choose to stand.