Challenge to Men

I am always impressed how my wife Laura, has so many close friendships. This week, she has plans almost everyday with some of her friends. I often wonder why these types of friendships do not come as easily for men.

I remember in high school and college, it appeared easier as a guy to make friends. Then adulthood hit and for some reason, it became tougher for men to maintain real friendships.

Sadly, many men are taught or believe they should not talk about personal issues with other men. Over the years, I believe this has caused more casual friendships between men. I have heard many stories of men trying to build stronger friendships with other men by taking time to text/call them, attending Bible studies, and taking other steps to build true friendships. Unfortunately, most of these steps have not resulted in stronger friendships. I would encourage those men to continue making the effort.

It appears most married men depend on their wives to develop and maintain friendships with other couples. That is not fair to the wives. How about the single guy or the husband whose wife is an introvert? How do they go about building true friendships with other men?

So here is my challenge men. We have to work harder to establish and maintain strong friendships with other men. For some men, this will be easy. You are already doing it. Keep doing it! For other men, this will be a tougher challenge. You are not built to reach out and share with other men. You will need to step out of your comfort zone. Take the risk and do it. I cannot promise you might feel rejected at times. The process may not be easy. However, I believe it is worth it.

So I encourage men to get connected in 2019. That might mean joining a club, sports team, Bible study or making a commitment to have dinner with some guy friends  weekly or monthly. With so many friends spread out across the world, you could have a group phone call. How about really getting out of your comfort zone and planning a road trip with a group of guys? I’m game! How about you?

So the challenge in 2019, is for men to take real steps in forming real friendships with other men. Friendships are great for our health and general well-being. I will continue to reach out to other men to build true friendships. Who is willing to take this challenge with me? ~OC