They're Way Better Than... Um... Almost Anything!

Call me inspired, but I gotta write right now. I've been thinking about women. What's that you say? There's nothing unusual about that, and why am I pointing that rather obvious fact out to my readers? Great question, and I'm glad you asked. Here's the answer that spawned all the questions that came from the thoughts that resulted from reading the words of someone I consider to be a good friend, and those thoughts fueled the inspiration with which I now write to you. We'll get to the "further ado...", but first, I just want to say one thing:

I LIKE WOMEN.

I do not say that because I have made a breakthrough in my own masculinity, having questioned it for a time. Quite the opposite: I say that because it's always been true; I can't help myself. It's how I feel, and as I strongly implied in my last post, I'm through with trying to deny that what is actually going on inside myself is actually going on inside myself. Well, except for digestion. I still deny that one, because I also like food, and sometimes I eat too much of it for that reason. But that's not where I'm going with all of this. Have you ever stopped to think about WHY you like members of the opposite sex? It's not because they're gorgeous, although they certainly can be and very often are (praise the Lord!). It's not because they give you flowers and chocolate, although I hear that rather cliche idea still gets astounding results on occasion. It's not because they can cook, repair, clean, drive, buy, remember, or help you in any way; these are just shadows of the true reason. Besides, if you averaged all cultures together, you might find that those things are surprisingly evenly dispersed between the sexes. These things are all almost peripheral compared to the real reason that men fall in love with women, and women fall in love with men. And the real reason is this: We make each other feel more like what we were created to be. In a healthy, Christ-honoring relationship, a member of the opposite sex can actually cause you to become more like what God intended for you to be before there ever was such a thing as sin. This applies to both friendships and romantic contexts.

My inspiring friend talks about her experiences being a woman in what is essentially still a man's world, and how when she and her husband go out to any public place, she asks him to ward off the unwelcome eyes that she knows will be on her if she goes out "undefended". That is, without his company. Her being one of the most independent women I know, I am not implying that she cannot take care of herself, and I'd have a REALLY hard time believing that she was implying that herself; instead, her contention was that she enjoyed being in his company and under his protection- whether it manifest through physical means or through simple eye contact with a guy across the room. On an even deeper level, she seems to be arguing that men were made to be pursuers, treasurers and protectors, and women were made to be pursued, treasured and protected. Yes, sin has warped this, as it has warped every one of God's creations. However, I've seen the healthiest relationships between men and women that I know of display this concept in profound ways. In many cases, both roles are played unconsciously after many years of practice. Somehow, our culture has brought the concepts of protection and control uncomfortably close together. If Christ is redeeming our hearts along with all of creation, He can certainly redeem the relationship between man and woman, as well...

Anyway, I'm beginning to sound like a popular-psychologist-turned-preacher, so I'll stop now. It's all been said before, anyway. It's just that it was on my mind- as women frequently have been since I was about twelve years old. I like 'em! :)