Viva
la difference!
An exclamation pertaining to the qualities that
make the sexes unique.
There is a distinct
and clear difference (not in mathematic terms) in how men and women are
designed. Every branch of science from neuroscience to anthropology now
confirms something the Bible has laid out all along. Of course, I believe that
those differences are good and there for a reason: God planned a framework for
what a man should be and what a woman should be, and our uniqueness is affected
by how we live out that design.
Ever notice in marriage that
opposites are attracted to each other? I’m convinced that it’s for our own
completeness (the two becoming one). You have seen it, haven’t you -- one is a
spender and the other a saver; one is talker (babbling brook) and the other a
listener (dead sea); or one likes to read about something and the other like to
see it -- Viva la difference!
But be careful,
those same differences that bring two together can be the same differences that
drive a couple apart, but that’s another story. So work together couples to,
understand, appreciate, and celebrate our God given differences.
Also be careful of
too many similarities! As I remember, the late great Larry Burkett, an American
author and radio personality whose work focused on financial counseling from an
evangelical Christian point of view, put it this way -- “The good Lord never put to similar people together, because if he did –
one would be redundant.”
God made us both equal in status and
different in our role
We learn in Genesis
(in the beginning) of all the things God created, none is more meaningful than
humanity. Men and women stand as equals at the climax of God’s created order.
Creation
--Genesis 1:27-28 – God created man in His own image, in the image of God He
created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to
them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule
over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living
thing that moves on the earth.”
God created everything; and
man gave names to all…, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for
him. So God created an intimate partner from and for man.
Completeness --
Genesis 2:18– Then the Lord God
said,“It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable
for him.”
Isn’t it refreshing to see
here that the Lord knows what we need before we (Adam in this case) even think
about it? Although the Bible doesn’t elaborate about Adam realizing he was
incomplete, it does tell us God created Eve as a “help-meet” for Adam. A
companion designed to be with man, and the man and wife remain together for
their entire lives.
Companionship --
Genesis 2:24 – [Moses tell us] For this reason [Because of the way God designed
marriage from the beginning] a man shall leave his father and his mother, and
be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
God created this union of
oneness (let’s call it marriage) and sex in marriage as God’s good gift for
future generations, and designed for our pleasure, to meet our deepest needs
for human companionship on this earth.
If you are interested in
more of what God says about marriage read Ephesians 5:22-33, and become a
marriage builder.
Viva la difference...and they shall become one flesh.
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