"Future Men" - Introduction

I heard about this book from my friend, Ivana, who is about to have her third boy and I thought that it would be an excellent book for myself as well since I am going to have my second boy soon. We'll just start from the beginning and hopefully I'll be able to clearly explain what I've learned in each section and maybe even be a help to someone else who has "future men".

The introduction to the book essentially tells parents that they must have faith about our boys. Despite how they look now, they are our future lawyers, airline pilots, pastors, etc. Unbelief is always anchored to the present, while faith looks at that which is unseen. We, as parents, must have the "faith of a farmer, or a sculptor, or anyone else engaged in the work of shaping unfolding possibilities." A parent of faith looks at the present and sees what it will become-- through grace and good works.

Boys don't often think about the consequences before they leap into something, but it is our job to see the best and the virtues displayed in each of those "unwise acts" in order to make something good out of it. Unbelief sees the lack of wisdom that created a situation that could have been easily avoided; faith sees an immature masculinity that is starting to assume the burden of manhood. Unbelief squashes; faith teaches. It is important to take your boys aside and tell him that part of what he did was good, while that other part of what he did got in the way, "And this is how to do it better next time."

Faith is central in bringing up boys, but it is important to remember that the object of faith is not the boy. It is faith in God, faith in His promises, faith in His wisdom. Faith concerns the boy, and the boy can see that it concerns him. Parents are to believe God for their sons, which is a very different thing than believing their sons.

God is the one who places a specific boy in a particular home. And He does so in order that those parents who believe and obey Him might come to delight in a wise son, a son who is like Jesus Christ. "My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself; Yes, my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things..." (Proverbs 23:15-16).

<"Future Men" by Douglas Wilson>