Becoming Who You Are: Modern Day Knight

I watched a scene unfold at the grocery store as a child about 3 or 4 years old threw a tantrum. After quieting down a bit, he then looked around strategically surveying the store and threw another fit, totally flustered the poor mother and then spit on the feet of the grocery bagger on his way out while tucked under the mothers arm sideways.

It reminded me of a few things…where is our intentionality of teaching a code of conduct like the old days of the knights? Where is society headed with the messages we want boys to learn and the conduct they will choose to live by.

Steps to Knighthood - The Page
At the tender age of just seven years a young boy would be sent to commence his education at the home or castle of a noble. His role would be as a page, the third step towards becoming a knight. A page was also referred to as a 'varlet' meaning 'little vassal'. It was the duty of a Page to wait at table, care for the Lord's clothes and assist them in dressing. The page was also expected to acts as servants to the ladies of the court or castle her served in. The Page was provided with a uniform of the colors and livery of the Lord. There were many pages, the number depending on the wealth of the noble. There was a 'pecking order' amongst the pages which was dependent on age. The ages of the pages would range from seven years old up to fourteen years old when they would take the next step to becoming a knight by serving in the position of a Squire. The young page would receive an education being taught religion, manners, riding, hunting, hawking and strategic games such as backgammon and chess. A Page would soon start to acquire the skills required of a Knight by practicing the skills of tilting a lance and watching the prowess and training of their seniors. The use of the lance would be practiced together with the skills of horsemanship. A target was erected and the Page would mount a wooden 'horse' on wheels holding a lance. The wooden horse would be pulled along by two other pages towards the target and the page would aim the lance. Sword play was practiced using wooden swords and shields. Fighting on piggyback introduced the young knights to the balance and skills required in mounted combat. The page would attend their superiors at Tournaments which were always seen as great occasions in the life of pages from the Middle Ages.

Steps to Knighthood - The Squire
The Medieval Squire was a servant to a knight during the Middle Ages. This was Step 4 of becoming a Knight. The role to a squire was one of the most important steps to Knighthood and started when a page reached the age of fourteen years old. The duties of a Squire were to learn about Chivalry, the rules of Heraldry, horsemanship and practice the use of weapons and the skills required of a Knight. It was also their duty to enter into the social life of the castle and learn courtly etiquette, jousting, music and dancing. The Squire served in this role for seven years and became a Knight at the age of twenty-one. Sometimes knighthood was conferred on a squire at an earlier age as the reward for bravery on the battlefield. In time of war Squires accompanied Knights on the battlefield, leading and tending the horses and dressing them in the Medieval Knights Armor. They came under fire from arrows and many squires were killed doing their duty.

Steps to Knighthood - The Knight
After many long years of training and learning the skills of combat and chivalry required of a Knight during the Middle Ages the steps to Knighthood were completed and symbolized in the order of Knighthood ceremony. The culmination of the ceremony was when a knight was dubbed and the words "Arise, Sir Knight" were uttered. This final part of the ceremony would have been knighted by a local knight, or if they were very lucky, by a greater noble or even the king. The ceremony marked the final steps to knighthood made by a Medieval Squire.
They would swear an oath to use a code of conduct—values that became a part of who they were…

I remember reading about such things and jotting down on a dinner napkin what those things would be to my family
Faith
Honor
Integrity
Help
Prayer
Determination
Well it’s been many years and some of what those values should be has changed. But the need to give the message from Father to Son intentionally remains.

Why is it so important?

Most of the ills we have in society today are due to boys not receiving the right messages from older, wiser men passing on a code of conduct and a vision larger than their next girlfriend conquest or getting high. Men need a code of conduct to live by and a kingdom larger than themselves to serve.

I get very revved up about this topic because it is my passion to make certain at some point in their lives men hear and answer the questions they need to answer.
Things go terribly wrong when questions are never answered or they seek these answers from women, drugs, money and any other method that seems right at first but is not getting right to the heart of the issue.

Only an initiated man can answer another man’s questions…
Do I have what it takes?
Am I brave?
What is the larger kingdom to serve?
What is the code of conduct?

In a few short weeks I will finally be part of a ceremony that will initiate my son. No hazing here…this is a spiritual reflection, physical courage, and mental challenge. It must employ all 3 elements for that is how real life approaches us, we need all three elements in our toolbox.

My messages now are a little different than before but what is important is declaring him ready to pursue his journey now as a man. My message is I am intentional in passing my messages on to him, my own code of conduct as a modern day knight. It is hard enough to be intentional without my own failures…but failures do not disqualify me from giving the messages, in fact, they display God’s strength where my own brokenness is revealed.

I was a little sad to see a sword at my nephew’s home one night standing next to his fireplace because in my head I realized there was an initiation ceremony that I had missed. Then I had a better thought…the place of beginning to think about these initiations was my idea I openly shared with family.

That sword was a symbol of my own legacy.