If You Haven’t Noticed, Men and Women Are Different!

In order to truly understand biblical masculinity we MUST understand that men AND women were and are created in the image of God. We are the same and equal in this regard (Gen. 1:26-27). But we can easily see that we are wired differently. We have different desires, different ways of communicating, and different ways of dealing with issues. You can see this in kids. They do not have to be taught these tendencies, they just are. Watch children at play and you will see what I mean!

Little girls use 10 times more words than boys do when they play and little boys are all about the sound effects! Bang! Vroom! Crash! As boys and girls grow older, it is still obvious that we were wired differently. Young ladies have amassed a huge collection of hair and fashion accessories while the boys have accumulated a collection of car parts and radios, balls and jerseys!

Thank God men and women are wired differently! It makes life so much more interesting! And let me tell you this, when a man learns to LISTEN to his wife and value her opinion, his life is complimented by the uniqueness that is in his wife.

Men Are Cultivators

Among several ways you could describe men, we are by nature, cultivators (Gen. 1:28; 2:5; 2:15). God has wired us to take care of things, make them grow and be productive. This is inherent. You can see it in our man-mantras – “bigger, faster, stronger.” We want things to be better and more efficient. This is by design. This is also why women have a hard time understanding why men just won’t listen!

Men are always looking for solutions so when husband and wife sit down to talk about things, the man goes into “man” mode and is looking at all the angles and ways things can be fixed! All the time, his wife is just wanting sympathy and for him to, “just listen“. For men, this feels like a waste of time and energy, but let me tell you from experience, just do it! Listen to her! Comfort her or celebrate her or whatever the occasion merits. Just make her feel you understand. This is no waste of time, you will actually be saving time and moving forward once you comprehend that this is how she is wired.

The Fall Corrupted Everything

God cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin (Gen. 3:17-19). All the good things God told men to cultivate are now at war against us.

Work is now hard and frustrating. It’s important to clarify that work is not a product of the fall as some would teach. Work is not the curse. Work being hard and uncooperative is part of the curse. Most men like to work but become frustrated with the outcome! So they quit or look for the easy way to get it done! Even if the easy way is illegal, immoral or wrong!

Cultivating the right things will always be hard. There may be wonderful seasons where work is easier and more cooperative than at other times, but for the most part it will be difficult. Because of sin we desire for things to be effortless so we tend to cultivate other things that seem to be less difficult. We shy away from the things we are called to cultivate and build because they are tough and time-consuming. We would rather cultivate hobbies, jobs, physical appearance, houses, etc. Our culture and advertisers have keyed in on this and exploit these tendencies. God uses the things that war against us, that are difficult and broken to show us our need for a Savior.

As men, we must never forget that God created us a certain way. We must work hard at becoming the men that God created us to be. It will not be easy! Are you ready for the adventure that awaits for you?

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