Encouragement for Today

February 19, 2025 Creating Safe Space for Men To Be Emotionally Free JASON WILSON Lee en español

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

You may not always see it, but the men in your life might be wrestling with emotions they’re too afraid to reveal.

When your husband, son, father or brother says, “I’m tired,” it doesn’t always mean they need more sleep. It’s sometimes a quiet cry for rest — an unspoken plea for relief from the unseen burdens weighing on their hearts.

Tragically, the real meaning behind “I’m tired” often goes unnoticed by friends and family. Men, so often seen as pillars of strength, can silently crack beneath the emotional weight they carry.

As boys, they are free — expressive and joyful. But misleading mantras like “big boys don’t cry” condition them from a young age to hide their pain. Over time, they begin to see suffering in silence as a badge of honor.

When boys become men, their expressions of pain are often labeled as weakness, fatigue is dismissed as laziness, and venting is seen as complaining. When tears flow, they’re called “soft.” Eventually, men might even stop following the good in their hearts and turn to unhealthy outlets for release or simply give up.

While you can’t change the men in your life, you can inspire them to see that real strength isn’t found in hiding their struggles but in having the courage to share them with people they trust. By applying the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:11, you can play a vital role in creating that safe space for the men in your life:

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

This journey to emotional freedom isn’t easy. It requires time; patience; love; and most importantly, faith. But over the last two decades, I’ve seen thousands of men break free from emotional incarceration — a self-imposed prison where they confined emotions that didn’t fit the mold of “masculinity” and isolated their hearts from the world.

The Most High can help men redefine strength rooted in faith and authenticity. Men are coming to realize that the journey to emotional freedom is not one they can walk alone. But Yeshua, Jesus, is the Shepherd who can lighten their burden and give them rest for their souls (Matthew 11:28-30).

So how can you help? Take every opportunity to acknowledge and affirm the men in your life for their character and qualities — not for what they do but for who they are as human beings.

Remind them that they can lean on God and trust you as they navigate the challenges of emotional growth. As they wrestle with the question, Who am I? … you can point them to the truth. They are sons of the living God, called to be comprehensive men — courageous, compassionate, strong yet sensitive, and fully alive in His purpose.

Yahweh, Lord God, help me to see the men in my life as You see them. Equip and strengthen me to help them become all You have created them to be. In the Name of Yeshua, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

In a world full of noise where the true essence of manhood is drowned by societal expectations, Jason Wilson’s The Man the Moment Demands is a manifesto for those ready to rediscover what it truly means to be authentically human.

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

2 Corinthians 12:9a, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’” (NKJV).

Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (NIV).

What would it look like to encourage someone you love who is struggling to understand his purpose? Share with us in the comments!

© 2025 by Jason Wilson. All rights reserved.

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