At week eight of our Stepping Up series with our church men’s group we dug into the importance of planning and providing. Something that not too many men think about or do.

We are told that a man is to provide for his family, right? The challenge facing most men today is that they don’t even know what authentic manhood looks like because their fathers didn’t model it out for them. I know because I was lost in this area. My father was not that compass for me growing up and a boy without a “compass” is like an explorer without a map!

Do you know what it means to provide for your family? Do you have a plan for your family?

Some do, but many don’t. Let’s dive into planning and providing — and why it’s so important.

In this weeks session Stu Weber breaks down the word “provision” for us as he reflects on one of his favorite TV programs fgrowing up as a kid, ‘Wagon Train’. In this show, Ward Bond who plays Major Seth Adams, leads a wagon train from post-Civil War Missouri to California.

The character that really resonated with Stu was Flint McCullough, who played the role of the scout. As he describes, Flint Mccullough always rode out ahead of the caravan; probing out ahead with ever-vigilant eyes checking out the trail for the safest route, keeping a lookout for Indians and scouting for the necessities such as food and water.

The whole wagon train community relied on the Flint’s experience, alert judgement and sense of direction. Stu points out that this is similar to the role of a man as provider for his family and introduces the concept of “Pro-vision” for this role.

“Pro” = before or ahead of time.
“Vision” = sight or seeing.

The idea is that “pro-vision” is the intentional act of looking ahead, providing direction, providing safe passage, anticipating needs and picking the path to the destination. Stu shares that what makes a Man is a vision — a vision for something larger than himself. A man who lives beyond the horizons, who is always looking ahead and watching out for his family…providing direction and a plan.

Planning and providing is part of a man’s leadership role in his home. Sadly many men often misplace their vision and focus on things such as; a house, car, boat, money, rising up the corporate ladder, fill in the blank ________.

At the heart of a real man’s vision is the health and welfare of his family and getting them safely to the destination. Your family (or even a group you are leading) is depending on you to set the course, they are looking to you for advance warning of storms, to determine the direction and set the pace — to lead them!

A man needs to use his God given capacity for distance vision to encourage, give hope and protect their families. Clarity of vision is critical and a man can get the perspective he needs to lead the family if he is willing to humble himself and see it from God’s perspective.

To sum it all up, Stu shares that this “provision” formula yields — Looking ahead. Giving direction. Anticipating needs. Defining destination. Riding ahead of the wagon on scout duty!

God blessed me with a mentor and life coach in my early forties to act as my compass and to help me think about what it means to provide, to plan — to have a vision.

Dennis Rainey, President and CEO of FamilyLife ties the idea of planning and providing with this. “The men who are the best providers are those who live intentionally. They are alert, watchful, and cautious, though not fearful. They know where they are strong and where they are vulnerable. If they are married and if they have children, they also know the strengths and vulnerabilities of their family members. They are proactive in their pursuit of God, knowing that apart from Him they can do nothing (John 15:5). They have a general sense of direction for their life and for those under their care. They look to the future with faith and hope.”

So men, what is the vision for your family?

Do you have a life plan, any plan?