NOTICED
Maybe there should be a school, Not one with desks or tests, But with open hearts and listening ears. A school that teaches our sons, While their hands are still soft And their hearts still open, How to be men, By learning to notice. Maybe it should teach them that strength, Isn’t in how much you can lift, But in how low you’re willing to bow. That greatness isn’t proved by shouting commands, But by the whisper of compassion When no one else is looking. Maybe there should be a school That teaches them what Jesus taught in silence: That a basin of water and a towel Can speak louder than a thousand crowns. That the greatest man who ever lived Once bent down to wash feet. Feet. Dusty. Dirty. Forgotten feet. And when HE rose, HE didn’t ask for applause. HE just said, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 22:27), (John 13:14) Brothers, what if the curriculum for manhood Was written not by culture, But by Christ? What if our boys were taught that power Is found in presence, In showing up, In seeing the need before it’s spoken, In noticing the lonely, In honoring their mother, In opening doors, In saying thank you, I’m sorry, Are you okay? You matter. These things don’t cost a dime. But they make you rich in heaven. (Luke 6:38), (Matthew 6:19-21). What if the syllabus was (Galatians 5:22)? Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. What if we said, “This is your strength training.” What if they learned that to be a man Isn’t just to provide bread, But to break it? To serve it. To sit with the last-picked, The least-seen. To say to the one who feels invisible, “I see you, and so does God.” What if there was a school like that? But maybe, Just maybe, There already is. It’s called the Church. Not the building, the Body. Not just Sunday morning, But every day men choosing to lead by love. So men, Let’s build that school. In our homes. In our neighborhoods. In locker rooms, barbershops, bus stops. Let’s teach by example. Let’s be the walking curriculum. Let our boys grow up learning That masculinity is not toxic, But Holy, When shaped by the hands of the Carpenter King. Let’s teach them that Jesus wept. That Jesus served. That Jesus noticed. And that Jesus still calls men to do the same. Because the smallest acts of kindness, The things that cost us nothing, Are sometimes the very currency of the Kingdom. Maybe there should be a school… Or maybe… God already enrolled you. AmenNOTICED
