For man: Life is a TEST

Life Is a Test

I once heard a phrase:

    “The reward for a man passing a test in life… is the next test.

At first, that sounds discouraging, doesn’t it?
But it’s true.

We were placed here by God to face challenges, endure hardship, and solve problems — to be refined and made more NOBLE through the struggle.

As my Marine buddy Andrew said today, life for a man can be summed up in one word:

RESPONSIBILITY.

Theodore Roosevelt

 “The price of greatness is responsibility.”

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Why Some Men Rise Higher

Ever wonder why certain men are paid more, promoted faster, or respected deeper?

Because they carry greater responsibility.

They solve more problems, lead more people, and bear heavier consequences. Their choices ripple across many lives.

That’s why the CEO earns more than the janitor — not because he’s more valuable as a human being, but because he’s responsible for far more.

Every man on earth is entrusted with responsibility — for his health, his wealth, his wife, his children, his work, and his character.

Viktor Frankl

(Holocaust survivor & psychiatrist)

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

The Modern Crisis

Look around.

Fatherlessness.
Violence.
Addiction.
Chaos in homes, schools, and streets.

Almost every societal wound traces back to men abandoning responsibility.

SO, all a lack of leadership.

God commanded man in Genesis:

“Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it.”

That wasn’t a suggestion — it was a MISSION.
Life is a garden, and we were called to tend it.
To prune, to steward, to cultivate what’s been given.

When a man neglects his garden, weeds take over.
When he steps up and takes ownership, order and peace return.

"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” 

Marcus Aurelius

(Stoic Emperor)

Take Inventory

So, brother — how’s your garden?

Are you neglecting your health?
Are you financially unstable?
Still bitter from old wounds?
Failing in your relationships?

If so, it’s time to look inward.
Because more often than not, the source of your struggle is you.

That’s not condemnation — it’s empowerment.
You can’t change what you won’t take responsibility for.

Winston Churchill**

“It is not enough to do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.”

The Challenge

Real men don’t run from tests — they welcome them.

Because every test you pass expands your strength, sharpens your discipline, and builds your legacy.

The reward for passing one test is the next one — because God trusts a responsible man with greater challenges.

I am still to this very day in my 40s, breaking a very frustrating habit- and it is this:

The mentality or default thought process that gets annoyed with the inconvenience of tests, rather than just absolutely embracing them- facing them one by one head on- and enjoying the new challenge alike. 

Every trial is training.  Every burden- a blessing in disguise. Men of Valor don't pray for lighter loads, but instead they pray for broader shoulders.

Stick around here as we continue building a culture of Responsibility, Strength, and Valor — a brotherhood that embraces the weight of life with purpose and pride.

Be a tested Man of Valor.

Brad Bennett
Founder, Man of Valor

Viktor Frankl (Holocaust survivor & psychiatrist)

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”