Real Men Cry Too 6.21.26

June 23rd, 2026

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Many men have grown up hearing the same message: be tough, stay quiet, and never let anyone see you struggle. While that mindset may sound strong on the surface, it doesn't reflect the picture of biblical manhood found in Scripture.

When Joshua declared, "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord," he wasn't making a public slogan or trying to impress others. He was expressing a personal conviction that had already taken root in his own heart. Before he could lead anyone else, he first had to choose who he would serve. The same principle remains true today. Godly leadership begins with personal surrender.

The Bible places significant responsibilities on men. Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Fathers are called to raise their children in the instruction of the Lord. Men are called to work with integrity, protect those entrusted to their care, and honor God with their lives. It's a weighty calling, but God never intended for anyone to carry it alone.

Throughout Scripture, some of God's strongest men were also deeply honest about their struggles. David defeated giants and led a nation, yet many of the Psalms reveal his fears, grief, and desperate dependence on God. Jesus demonstrated ultimate strength through His power and authority, yet He also openly wept. Tears were not weakness. They were evidence of compassion, love, and authenticity.

The world often defines strength as self-sufficiency. Scripture defines strength differently. Real strength is recognizing our need for God and depending on Him daily. The strongest men are not those who pretend they have it all together. They are the ones who humbly kneel before the Lord, trusting Him to carry what they cannot.

When we stop pretending and start surrendering, we discover that God's strength is more than enough for every responsibility, burden, and challenge we face.

REFLECT |

What responsibilities are you trying to carry in your own strength instead of surrendering to God?
How has pride or fear kept you from being honest about your struggles?
What would it look like for you to lead your family through dependence on God rather than self-reliance?

BIBLE VERSES

Key Verses are denoted with an *

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DAY 1 | THE DECLARATION STARTS WITH YOU

Before Joshua ever challenged the crowd, he settled something in his own heart. He did not point fingers or make demands. He simply said where he stood. That kind of leadership is quiet, personal, and powerful. It is easy to think that leading your family means having all the answers or keeping everything under control. But biblical leadership starts on the inside. It is a decision you make before anyone is watching. It is choosing, in your own heart, which direction your house is going. You do not have to be perfect to lead. You just have to be committed. Your family does not need a flawless man. They need a faithful one. A man who has decided, regardless of what is happening around him, that God is the priority in His home. That decision is yours to make. No one can make it for you. And the good news is that God honors that kind of commitment. When you plant your flag and say "as for me and my house," you are not doing it alone. God steps into that declaration with you. Start there. Settle it in your heart today.

BIBLE VERSE |
"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15

REFLECTION QUESTION |
Have you made a personal, internal declaration about the direction of your home, or are you still waiting for the right moment to commit?

QUOTE |
"Joshua was doing here was a declaration. He settles this in his own heart. He makes it personal. And he says, before I challenge anyone else in my heart, this is my declaration. As for me in my house, I know which direction we're going."

PRAYER |
Lord, give me the courage to make a personal commitment to lead my family toward You. Help me settle in my own heart that You are the priority, starting today. Amen.

DAY 2 | THE BACKPACK DOES NOT COME OFF

Nobody told you it would be easy. The responsibilities that come with being a man, a Father, a husband, a son, do not pause when you are tired. They do not take a day off when life gets hard. Scripture is honest about this. The calling is real, and the weight is real. Ephesians 5:25 calls husbands to love their wives the way Christ loved the church. That is a sacrificial, all-in kind of love. Ephesians 6:4 calls fathers to raise their children with discipline and instruction. Colossians 3:23 calls men to work with integrity in everything they do. These are not suggestions. They are a calling. But here is what makes the weight bearable: knowing that God wrote the instructions. He knows exactly what He asked of you. He is not standing at a distance, watching you struggle. He is close, and He is ready to help you carry what He called you to carry. You were not designed to do this alone. Responsibility is the call, but dependence on God is what makes it possible. Lean into both.

BIBLE VERSE |
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." - Colossians 3:23

REFLECTION QUESTION |
In what area of responsibility are you trying to carry the weight on your own instead of leaning on God for strength?

QUOTE |
"You and I, we have this backpack, and all of us are called to wear this thing. Everything I just said is biblical instructions for me and you as a man. And you don't take it off. You don't just take it off. It just keeps going and going."

PRAYER |
Father, remind me that You called me to this and You will equip me for it. Help me carry my responsibilities faithfully, and keep me dependent on You every step of the way. Amen.

DAY 3 | REAL MEN CRY TOO

You have probably heard it. Real men do not cry. Stay strong. Keep it together. Do not let anyone see you struggle. That message gets passed down quietly, and a lot of men carry it for years without ever questioning it. But look at David. A warrior. A giant-killer. A king. And yet he wrote, "My tears have been my food day and night" (Psalm 42:3). Look at Jesus. He calmed storms, cast out demons, and walked toward the cross without flinching. And He wept. Tears are not weakness. They are honesty. They mean you are human. They mean you care. They mean you are not pretending everything is fine when it is not. God does not look at a man on His knees, crying out in pain, and see failure. He sees faithfulness. Maybe you have cried in your truck, at your bedside, or in a hospital hallway where no one could see you. That was not a moment of weakness. That was a moment of real, raw humanity before God. And He saw every single tear. You do not have to hold it all together. You just have to bring it to Him.

BIBLE VERSE |
"My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'" - Psalm 42:3

REFLECTION QUESTION |
What have you been holding together on the outside that you have not yet been honest with God about on the inside?

QUOTE |
"Somewhere along the way, many men, you and I, we were taught that strength, that means silence, silence. Do it on your own, fix it yourself. Go grab your wrenches and figure it out. But when we look at scripture, real men, they cry, too."

PRAYER |
God, thank You for seeing me in my pain and not turning away. Help me stop pretending and start being honest with You about what I am carrying. Amen.

DAY 4 | GOD WORKS THROUGH THE HARD SEASONS

Pain is not the end of the story. That is one of the most important things a man can hold onto when life is heavy and the road feels long. Psalm 126:5 says, "Those who sow with tears will reap songs of joy." That is not a promise that the pain disappears quickly. Sometimes God works suddenly. Other times, the growth is slow and quiet. But both are real, and both are God. Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things together for good for those who love Him. Not some things. All things. That includes the seasons that do not make sense, the prayers that feel unanswered, and the tears that seem to go nowhere. David went from tending sheep to facing Goliath to running for his life to becoming king. The path was not straight, and it was not easy. But God was in every chapter. Your story is the same. The hard season you are in right now is not outside of God's reach. He is working, even when you cannot see it. Keep going. The harvest is coming.

BIBLE VERSE |
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28

REFLECTION QUESTION |
Looking back at a difficult season in your life, where can you now see that God was working even when it did not feel like it?

QUOTE |
"Joy often grows from tears. Sometimes for me and you, God will work suddenly. And there's other times where it's a very slow growth. But both are real and both are God."

PRAYER |
Lord, help me trust You in the seasons that are hard and slow. Remind me that You are working even when I cannot see it, and give me the faith to keep going. Amen.

DAY 5 | STRONG ENOUGH TO NEED GOD

Here is the most freeing truth a man can accept: you are not strong enough to do this on your own. And that is okay. In fact, it is exactly where God wants you. The most powerful thing you can do is not white-knuckle your way through life. It is get on your knees and pray. That is not weakness. That is the strongest move a man can make. Scripture says we are more than conquerors, but notice the rest of that verse. It is through Him who loved us. Not through our own effort. Not through gritting our teeth and pushing harder. Through Him. You were never meant to carry the weight of manhood, fatherhood, and leadership on your own strength. God knows the calling is heavy. He wrote it. And He is not asking you to figure it out alone. He is asking you to stay dependent on Him, every hour, every day. The goal is simple. Love God. Love your family. Stay on your knees. That is the kind of man whose life leaves a mark long after he is gone.

BIBLE VERSE |
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." - Ephesians 5:25

REFLECTION QUESTION |
What would it look like in your daily life to move from striving in your own strength to genuinely depending on God?

QUOTE |
"The most manly thing I can see a man do is get down on his knees and pray to God."

PRAYER |
Jesus, I cannot do this without You. Teach me what it means to stay dependent on You every single day, and help me lead my family with the strength that only comes from You. Amen.

ACTION STEP

This week, identify one area of your life where you have been trying to carry the weight alone without bringing it to God or letting others in. Take a specific step to change that. It might mean praying on your knees each morning, having an honest conversation with a trusted friend, or simply telling God out loud that you need Him. Let this week be a practice in dependence rather than self-sufficiency.

PRAYER

Lord, we pray for every person reading this devotional to grow closer to You, especially the men who are carrying heavy loads and doing it quietly. Remind them that you see them, that you know the weight they carry, and that you wrote the instructions because you also provide the strength to follow them. For anyone who is hurting today, whether from loss, from unmet hopes, or from the pressure of responsibility, we ask that you bring comfort and renewed hope. May we leave here more dependent on you than when we arrived, and may our families and friends one day say of us that we loved God and we loved the people around us. In Jesus name, amen.

BIBLE APP PLANS

The Man God Is Forming: A 10-Day Journey Beyond Provision and Performance
10 Days – Olajumoke Bello
Society often reduces manhood to performance, measuring worth by material success and achievement. However, true biblical manhood prioritizes identity and spiritual formation over mere provision. This devotional invites you to rediscover God’s design: a man formed internally before he is called to lead externally. Over ten days, we explore identity, discipline, and legacy, moving beyond the pressure to perform. Before a man is called to provide, he is called to become; before he leads, he must submit to God. A man built by God stands with a strength that transcends his own efforts.

How To Build A Godly Man
7 Days – Darryl Dash
Nobody grows godlier by accident. We don't grow into godliness on our own. The Holy Spirit helps us, but we have an important role to play. There are some important things that must happen if we're going to grow into the godly men that God wants us to be. We're going to explore some of these things this week and look at how we can build godly character as Christian men.

Identity (Youth)
4 Days – Life.Church

This four-day youth reading plan explores what Scripture has to say about identity. Follow the story of three students who are given the chance to change who they are. However, in order to gain a new identity, they must first leave behind who they used to be. Each day you'll read a passage of Scripture, watch the story, and witness firsthand what it means to find your identity in God.