Boys Wrestling Girls?

John Piper recently wrote an article about a local wrestler making history as the first girl to compete in the state tournament. He rightly addresses the need for fathers to step up to the plate and say, “Over my dead body are you going to wrestle a girl.” He continues his exhortation by stating, “Give your sons a bigger nobler vision of what it is to be a man. Men don’t fight against women. They fight for women.”

Piper’s exhortation is much needed and greatly appreciated. As my wife and I wait for the birth of our first child I occasionally think of my future as a father. I want to preach into my sons that men fight for women to the glory of God and for their good. This is what the apostle brings out in 1 Peter 3:7, “Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel.” Piper writes:

There is a way to honor a woman. That’s our job as men. This honor “understands” something. It understands that women are the “weaker vessel.” This has nothing to do with less personal worth and in many cases not even with physical stamina. It has to do with pervasive realities that shape the way healthy societies work.

It means that we should raise sons to think of themselves as protectors. Tell them they should lay their lives down to protect girls. Help them know that God designed them to grow up to be a picture of Jesus in their marriage. Nurture the instinct of a boy to fight for girls not against them.

I pray that God gives me the grace to teach my sons to fight for their sisters, their mom, and their wife as Jesus fights for the Church. It is a tragedy that culture flips this biblical principle on its head by praising the girl who wrestles against boys and scorning the boys who seek to honor girls by refraining (see comments at the end of article). May we build men who fight for women and not against them.

Zach