Powerful!

Please take a moment to read Chris Ramirez caption to this picture… POWERFUL!
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It’s quite ironic that as I was reading this, I tried to hide my tears at coffee shops, the break rooms at work, and in my car in between shifts. This one broke me. It reminded me of many details in my life that determined the course of my personality: my actions, choices, and REactions.
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Mr. Jason Wilson, thank you for heeding to the Lord’s call in your life. Despite all of the internal warfare, God gave you the same transformative power as those in the New Testament that heard “rise up and walk” to overcome circumstances and to simply, forgive. To love. To be intentional. To learn and love Truth. In today’s age, my generation of young men (as well as yours), sees this as a form of weakness as you so intricately unravel through your story.
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I can’t tell you how many times I heard the phrases “oh stop being a b*!%#” or “you’re such a p***” for simply saying no, refusing to engage in an act that would result in someone else getting hurt, or showing more emotion than socially acceptable.
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To my young men: I say this with the purest intentions; give up the façade. It’s hurting you, the ones closest to you, & causing you to harbor things the human heart was never meant to hold.
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To my older folk who led us astray: we forgive you. And I say this with the biggest lump in my throat; we still love you. But what you taught us almost destroyed us. I say that not to cause shame, but from a regenerated heart pleading with you to come to terms with your unresolved traumas because what you do or say, MATTERS. It’s life-changing.
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To my women: if any man around you is being too “emotional”, just know that for what ever the reason, the man was driven to an unbelievable low.. please don’t take advantage of him in that state. You play an incredibly significant role. He (we) need you more than ever in those times. Please continue welcoming us with gracious & merciful arms.
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To all of my men who cry like men (I’ve tagged a few): thank you for exuding Christ-like humility in the face of adversity. Although stumbling.