The Complete Man

Aristotle whispered,
"Become stronger."

Paul answered,
"Become faithful."

For a while,
I thought they argued.

One called me
to sharpen my mind,
to strengthen my hands,
to master myself.

The other called me
to lay myself down,
to carry a cross,
to follow Another.

One taught virtue.
The other taught grace.

I wondered
which road a man should walk.

Then I realized
they were walking toward each other.

The soldier stood watch,
not for glory,
but to protect.

The farmer knelt in the dirt,
not to possess the harvest,
but to steward it.

The athlete rose before dawn,
not to defeat another man,
but to master the man within.

The philosopher searched for wisdom,
only to discover
that wisdom begins
with fearing the Lord.

And the disciple...

The disciple gathered them all.

He taught the soldier
when to fight
and when to forgive.

He reminded the farmer
that every field
belongs to God.

He humbled the athlete
when strength became pride.

He showed the philosopher
that knowing truth
is different
than knowing Christ.

I have lived long enough
to know that none of these
stay with me every day.

There are seasons
when my body is strong
and my spirit is tired.

Seasons
when courage comes easily,
and others
when fear speaks louder.

Days when I build.
Days when I break.

Days when I understand.
Days when I simply trust.

Perhaps that is
the human experience.

Not becoming
the complete man...

But becoming
a faithful steward
of the man
God is shaping.

So I will keep training.

I will keep building.

I will keep learning.

I will keep kneeling.

And I will thank the men
God places along my path,
because none of us
becomes whole alone.

Aristotle taught me
to pursue excellence.

Paul taught me
to pursue Christ.

I learned from them both.

For excellence
without Christ
becomes pride.

And faith
without discipline
rarely reaches its full measure.

The complete man
is not the one
who has mastered life.

He is the one
who spends his life
being mastered
by God.