RESTORATION

MANSFIELD'S BOOK OF MANLY MEN (123-137)

• "I love to see a man improve upon himself."
• The simple willingness to fight back after misfortune is one of the most important features of genuine manliness.
• Men seem more likely to doubt themselves, more likely to put a bullet through their heads or live the rest of their lives at the bottom of a bottle.  
• Losing all and reclaiming it again while friends keep a suspicious distance and the words of critics sear the soul - these seem to me about the hardest things a man can face, and it is not surprising that many men never recover.
• Because of what a man is meant to be for his family, his society, and his God, he cannot allow failure and loss to destroy him. He should live knowing that such seasons are possible, and he should have a firm grasp on the truth that will help him rebuild.
• First, he has to know he is destined.
• Second, he has to acknowledge his folly...call it brokenness or humility. Whatever we call it, realizing we are not as we should be and that hiding this fact only deepens the devastation is one of the great principles of turning around a damaged life.
• Third, submit to more capable men. We have to have mentors, coaches, trainers, and fathers. We need men who don't fear us and are tough enough to press painful truths into our lives. We can't rebuild without them.
• Finally, we will have to face those we've damaged. We cannot run. It is essential in reclaiming your lost territory that you stay in that territory - despite the mountains of rubble you've created - and yield to the processes of both God and man that are designed to help you reclaim and rebuild.