Extolling the Good Man, a Knight for Life

By Jennifer Hartline Published on October 16, 2016

I see you everywhere.

Just today I saw you walking down the street, arm in arm with your wife and it made me smile.

I saw you on the playground, chasing first your little girl, and then your son, and laughing out loud with them as they squealed with delight.

I saw you wearing your newborn in the Ergo carrier and pushing your toddler in the stroller.

I’ve seen you playing ball in the backyard with your son, and I’ve seen you having a tea party with your princess.

I’ve seen you cooking dinner, doing dishes, taking out trash cans, and changing poopy diapers.

I’ve seen you snuggling on the couch with little ones in footed jammies, reading silly stories.

I’ve heard you offering nighttime prayers, bringing blessings down on precious little heads.

I’ve seen you fixing the car, the washing machine, and dealing with overflowing toilets.

I’ve seen you give your one hour of free time to help a neighbor, or even a stranger.

I’ve seen you lend your expertise and skill and not accept payment.

I’ve seen you hanging Christmas lights on the house, every bit as excited as your little ones. (And then I heard you curse the stupid tangled mess of lights that suddenly don’t light anymore.)

Do you have any idea how much it comforts and gladdens my heart to witness all this? It is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

I’ve been the recipient of your gallantry, even though I was a stranger to you. On countless occasions I’ve seen you extend your protection and might to someone in need. I’ve been blessed by your bravery; delighted by your chivalry; humbled by your generosity.

I’ve seen you weighed down with worry, burdened by anxiety, troubled with sadness. I’ve seen you keep going when you really wanted to quit. I’ve felt the heaviness in your sighs, when life was especially unkind.

I’ve seen many of you leave home and do battle in distant lands, even though you’d rather not, because you know that freedom is costly, and duty calls. I’ve witnessed the honor and loyalty you share with your comrades. I’ve seen you suffer wounds, visible and invisible. I’ve seen you weep unashamed, and it only made my admiration for you grow.

I see you, and it’s never been more important that you know that. I appreciate you so very much. You take a beating too often in our culture, and some praise and admiration is long overdue. You are a good man.

This is my heartfelt thanks to you, sir; Husband; Father; Brother; Son. The faithful one who lays down his life every day for his family and those he loves. The man who works tirelessly to provide for and protect us. We would be lost without you. All of society will be lost if ever you disappear. I’m not the least embarrassed to say that I love and admire you, and thank God in Heaven for the great gift of men.

It is impossible to overemphasize how much we need good men. We need men of strong character. We need men with chests.* We need the nobility and strength that is uniquely yours. We need your courage. We need your very presence.

We will never transform our culture of death into a culture of life without you. The world may scream at you that you have no say in this matter; it’s not your “choice” and you don’t get a vote. The world is wrong. You are, and you must be, a voice for the voiceless. You must defend the helpless. God did not create you to look away as the weak and defenseless are targeted and killed by the strong.

Do not be silenced or shamed into the shadows. Your voice matters immensely in the fight to abolish abortion forever and restore a society in which life is sacred once again. Protect your babies. Protect their mothers. Your commitment could make the difference between life and death. Just ask Nancy Flory. That’s how blessing flows when a man steps up and does the right thing.

I pray for a culture in which the blessings of a loving, healthy masculinity are abundant again. I beg the Lord to raise up great men, with all the virtues and traits great men rightly exemplify: honor, leadership, strength, protectiveness, duty, responsibility; steadfastness; faithfulness; and courage. I pray the Lord will raise up knights for Life. Men who will act with honor, treat the women in their lives with the utmost care and respect, and protect their children from harm. No evil cloaked in sophistry would stand a chance.

If you’re a man whose child was killed by abortion, when you were unable to prevent it, I’m truly sorry for what you’ve suffered and for the fact that your loss is largely ignored and dismissed. You carry a heavy and hidden grief. In this, you have much in common with post-abortive women. Abortion leaves no one unwounded. This ritual pagan sacrifice is the greatest evil of our time, and so abolishing abortion is the greatest moral battle of our time. We need good men to help us be victorious.

Gentlemen, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for who are you and all you do for the ones you love. May God bless you, strengthen you, prosper you, and give you His peace.

* “We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.” C.S. Lewis

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