Heroic Path: In Search of the Masculine Heart

by John Sowers

My human nature, the flesh, has self-destructive tendencies. They are brought out especially when I’m hungry or lonely. Or when I am hurt or tired. We all have earthly appetites. But when we are weak or hungry, our self-control may falter. We binge. Take a bite of the forbidden apple or swallow down gobs of Turkish delight. Before long, self-control crumbles into nothingness and we are controlled by the urges of our flesh. The urges often go far beyond food hunger. The lusts of the flesh may be impulse purchases, sexual fantasies, social media dings, porn addiction, or escapades. We may succumb to substances, serotonin hits, alcohol, or hard drugs. Our flesh wishes to betray us. It is “crouching at our door, but we must master it.” If we do not, little by little, it will consume us. Cracks grow into rifts, which split and fracture, until we become men with broken-down walls—slaves to our own bodies. Unless we recognize and surrender daily to the Spirit, we strive in the self-willed life, and are headed onto the lonely shores strewn with broken vessels.