Men must prioritise health, be role models — Rev. Dr Markwei

The Head Pastor of Living Streams International, Rev. Dr Ebenezer M. Markwei has advised men to prioritise their health to enable them to live their purpose.

He said in their bid to seek success in their various endeavours, men often neglected their health needs, which eventually became obstructions to the success they worked for.

“Health is wealth so let us all take good care of our health by paying attention and seeking the necessary support as all the hard work and success we hope for will come to nothing if we are not healthy enough,” Rev. Dr Markwei said in a message to commemorate International Men’s Day, which fell yesterday.

Men’s Day

November 19 has been set aside as International Men’s Day (IMD) to celebrate the positive impact men have on society while emphasising their well-being.

The idea for International Men's Day was first proposed in 1992, but it was not widely recognised until, a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of the West Indies, Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, revived the initiative in 1999.

Dr Teelucksingh’s initiative was borne out of his research interests which included masculinity and religion and his conviction that issues about men’s well-being were being overlooked. 

IMD provides a platform to discuss critical issues such as mental health, challenge stereotypes, and promote gender equality.

The theme for this year’s commemoration is: “Champion men’s health”, to highlight the need to improve men’s overall well-being and promote healthy lifestyles.

Rev. Dr Markwei said the statistics of men taking their health for granted was a matter of concern and encouraged men to show up for regular medical checkups, seek the right and necessary medical attention for conditions when diagnosed, as well as adopt healthier lifestyles to preserve their lives if given a clean bill of health.

“Whatever it is and in all we do, let us place a premium on our health issues the same way we prioritise our work and the other activities that are of importance to us because, without good health, all those things will mean nothing,” he stressed.

Role models

Rev. Dr Markwei also encouraged men to live up to their spiritual role in leading their families to help build strong societies.

He emphasised that in a world where values were steadily declining, it was important for men to be positive role models in the lives of not only their sons but also every younger male they encountered.

“We must lead as spiritual heads, we must lead to inspire the younger generation,” he said.

He said the Bible had placed a great responsibility on men as being a priest, a prophet and a king, a role which must reflect in men taking up their responsibility to lead in the service first to their wives and children.

“Our society is being burdened with too many street children without father figures. The ability of a man to reproduce doesn’t make him a man, but rather the ability to look after what has been reproduced and also ensure that all young people who look up to them are positively impacted is the definition of man and I encourage all men to heed to this clarion call,” he stressed.

Giving some explanation to the biblical role assigned to men, Rev. Dr Markwei said as a priest and head, the man must have a prayer canopy over his family as that was their protection, emphasising that “ the spiritual warfare of families should be shared responsibility and not left entirely in the hands of women as is often the case in many homes”.

“It is also my prayer that as men, we will be the shining stars that light up pathways for generations to come, set examples for those who will come after us and leave lasting legacies for all,” the Living Stream International Head Pastor prayed.