I sat in a group of singles from my church group—many divorced—where one woman declared, “Just like a man!” and stormed out.
The movie we were watching was Sarah Plain and Tall, a Hallmark classic of a mail-order bride story. A woman answers an ad on condition that there is some hope of a relationship before committing. Toward the end the man realizes he never had a chance to grieve his wife’s death, and leaves the house. It’s the turning point of the movie, but a few women get up and leave, sneering and grumbling as they go. What happened to make them so cynical? Broken relationships? Possibly. You could say my pet peeve is male bashing. There is so much of it…even in the church today. But thinking all men are insensitive, because they don’t respond as a woman might, is just wrong. Do we really believe God made a mistake when he made the average man less expressive than women? Elizabeth Elliott uses Gertrude Behanna’s quote in her book Let Me Be A Woman. It’s a book of collected letters she wrote to her daughter Valerie before she married. Elliott says to her daughter, “It’s hard for you to imagine this early in the game, but some day you may think (or even say aloud), “I’m not sure my husband understands me.” You are probably right. He doesn’t. He’s a man. You’re a woman. Is it any different when a woman feel misunderstood than when men get frustrated with a woman who doesn’t say what she means. Listen to this interchange and appreciate how a man might get frustrated. “Are you crying?” he asks. “No,” she replies, sniffling. “Come on now; you’re crying!” “No, I’m not.” “What’s wrong?” he asks. “Nothing!” When I said to a man, “A penny for your thoughts,” he just said he’s not thinking of anything. How can that be? I used to think he just didn’t want to share it with me, or that he was hiding something. “You have to be thinking about something!” I’d say. But in all our conversations I’ve learned, he isn’t thinking about anything. Men can do that apparently. It’s completely not in my wheelhouse. Elliott goes on to say to her daughter, “They are men, they act like men, they do what is expected of men and thus they do the unexpected…Know that there are things that make him different from you; his masculinity will help to explain some of them…Leave room for mystery.” Is there a time when you were completely frustrated by something someone did that you didn’t understand? Can you think of a time when you were angry when someone didn’t take the time to try to understand you? How will you respond differently next time? Lord, I don’t think You made any mistakes when you created men; may I grow to appreciate the differences. Help me seek to understand and honor You by honoring men. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5, 6 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Gertrude Behanna, 1900-1970, was a wealthy, wild-living, alcoholic American woman writer who found Christ and sobriety at age 53. Before her death, Gertrude became something of a legend as a speaker for Alcoholics Anonymous. Her God Is Not Dead! speech is still available on audio CD through Amazon.
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WelcomeI love the wisdom of the ages gleaned from relevant quotes. In them there is a connection to the human experience that crosses all borders. Join me as I relate my personal experiences, and link the wisdom of the quote to the Source of all wisdom: God's Word, the Bible. Enjoy, Libby Categories
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