The expectations of society on men vary. One sector tells men to be “manly men” with a scruff of a beard, work boots, flannel shirts and dirty hands at the end of the work day. Another sector of society tells men to be “clean-cut” with a sharp suit, $300 shoes, the perfect coif, and a 9-5 job that is actually a 6-9 job full of fast paced business decisions and high-powered meetings. There are also sectors in society that tell men to be timid and reserved. Another sector tells men to be a “great dad”. Men are pulled many different ways. Every day.

My question for men is this: What should you be? Where do you find yourself falling on the “man spectrum”? Is there one perfect model of what you should be as a man?

My answer to the question is that there isn’t one single perfect place on this spectrum. God created us all as unique people. What society tells us to be, isn’t necessarily wrong, but it isn’t right either. I’m certain there are men in $3000 suits and men in work boots who are both following the path God has for them. What society thinks about each of these men can vary.

Do you have a stereotype in your mind when the slick looking business professional walks into your auto repair shop? Is it different from your stereotype of the man in work boots wearing the Carhartt overalls? Do you value one over the other?

Value. Usefulness. Worth. Importance.

Modern society, by which I mean the all invading modern marketing and media, places “value” on money. Often the value of a human revolves around how much income is created by and around an individual. A popular professional athlete is perceived to have a far greater reach when compared to a person with a four month old blog with nine subscribers. The athlete has a higher “value” in our society.

Do you have a high value in society? Do we fall prey to the marketing influences in our daily lives as we place values on individuals?