I've been helping Donny paint a condo this week. We've had a lot of time to get to know each other better than we have before. Last night he picked me up to head out to the condo and I asked him "How's it going"? His reply was "Do you really want to know"? Then he told me that he's been working for a temp agency that markets itself to construction companies and builders. They've been keeping him pretty busy during the days and he's been able to line up some side work for the evenings. With this, he's felt like he's been able to get out from behind the eight-ball a bit financially. Yesterday, they told him that they don't have any more work for him. They'd call when they need him.
So, Donny has been laid off. He's angry, scared, and discouraged. But there's something very cool about what happened during that ride to the condo. It's not that I had a chance to encourage him. It's not that I urged him to keep his eyes on God and that He will provide for his family. It's not that I had the chance to pray with him (which I didn't do but maybe should have). The really cool part of the whole thing is that he asked me "Do you really want to know"?
Men tend to be isolationists. Popular culture tells us that we don't cry, we suck it up and deal with it, and we need to be strong enough to handle things on our own. While I'm thankful that Donny didn't cry, he made the choice to share and receive the encouragement that can come from another male who's been through some of the same experiences. He didn't feel like he could suck it up and deal with it by himself. He needed something more.
We all need something more than ourselves. We need to support each other, encourage each other. That's how it's supposed to work.
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