The Male Ego and God

By Daniel Francis

His exact words were that he could see the dark shadows shooting all around the room steadily closing in on him. At first, he thought he was dreaming but as the days went on the shadows crept closer and closer to him. The closer they came to him the worse his condition became. He was convinced these were demons.

“Like corbeaux, they were circling their almost dead prey waiting until it was time to feed. He was so afraid that he immediately called his mother and repeated over and over that the demons were closing in on him and he was going to die.

“His mom immediately left home, came to his bedside, and began praying vigorously. She did this day in and day out. Some days she brought other family members to pray over him as well. Two weeks later he was not seeing demons anymore and his condition had improved to the point that he could be discharged.”

This story was retold to me by my mom. It was a portion of a speech that my cousin gave at my aunt’s (his mother’s) 50th birthday celebration.

To give full context to his story, this was 2021 when my cousin surprisingly suffered a serious heart attack. On the brink of death in the hospital, matters were made worse when he contracted Covid-19.

His story goes to show the power of prayer but one major thing he noted from the whole ordeal was that he had drifted further and further away from God before the incident. It started with him missing Mass and it kept escalating to the point where he had no real relationship with God.

After that miracle, he is the devoutest of Catholics, but why did it have to get to this point? He admitted he believed his male ego was what pulled him away from the Church initially.

I always heard the male ego described as large and fragile. I cannot speak for all men, but I am certain that egos come in all shapes, sizes and durabilities. I also want to believe that the male ego is based on where we as individual men see ourselves in the world and if we are meeting those expectations.

One aspect is internal and deals with our emotions, self-esteem, and thoughts, while the external is tied to our roles, experiences, societal pressures, and upbringing. All to say the male ego is very complex.

I would go as far as saying maybe it is not necessarily the male ego that keeps us from God but the extreme traits that can manifest from the ego when unchecked.

For example, when we accept and perpetuate an extreme form of pride, we now feel the need to show off unnecessarily, display an unhealthy need to outdo others, develop a superiority complex or are incapable of asking for help.

Who needs God when I believe I have it all handled? Who needs God when I am the MAN? Why ask God for help when I believe I am the best thing since sliced bread?

As men, it should not take great turmoil for us to see that we need God. Take this article as your wake-up call to find your way back to God. Do not wait until tomorrow or next week. Start now!

Always keep track of the bigger picture. What is your life without God? Self-awareness always seems to be the start of the change because how will you know you have a problem if you cannot identify the deficiencies within yourself?

If you are reading this and you know you have not been to church in a while, it’s time to return. Haven’t prayed in a while? Drop down on your knees right now. No better time than now.

Don’t wait until demons are closing in and you are on the brink of death to find your way back to God.

Daniel Francis is a millennial helping other millennials. He is a two-time author of the books The Millennial Mind and The Millennial Experience, and an entrepreneur. Over the past four years, he has served as a Personal Development Coach whose work targets Millennials and helps them tap into their full potential. He is also a Self-publishing coach and has guided hundreds on self-publishing their book successfully.

IG: rebitlimited

LinkedIn: Daniel Francis

Email:

themillennialmind2020@gmail.com

Website: rebityouth.com