Waaaay back in 1992, John Gray put out a book called Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want From Relationships. For many people, it was a revolutionary book. Many men thought that women think like men do and many women thought men think like women do regarding relationships and dealing with conflict. It is natural for anyone to think so. However, one of the great truths regarding male and female relationships is that it is a coming together of two beings who are made differently (in their bodies and in their minds) in understanding and compromising and learning to accept and learn from and live with those differences. I admit it has been a long time since I have read it but a few of the differences that I remember from the book that I as a man need to accept and treasure in a woman follow.

I remember from the book that men need to accept that when women feel distressed, they want to connect more with others as opposed to men when they have problems, who want to disconnect and pull-away. Another difference that I remember is that when a woman has problems she just wants to know that she is heard and that men want to fix things that are problematic.

Over the years, I have seen other differences between men and women. For example, recently, I have been contemplating the differences between men and women regarding success and security. I have also been contemplating what these differences mean spiritually. Now I realize that there must be many social psychology studies by experts on this topic. However, allow me to just share my un-researched opinions on the topic.

I can say confidently, men love to be successful and women love security. It seems to me, women want men who are successful so that they can just have security. Men want success and security so that they can find a good woman. However, no where in the Bible, does the Lord guarantee us any of these. The Lord, wants our one, true success in life to be in knowing Him and our security to be in our relationship in Him. I believe that He has taken success away from me in certain situations so that I learn to trust Him more and glorify Him more. I am sure He has tested many women with a lack of security as well.

“Well I like eating and drinking and breathing and paying my bills”, you may say. Certainly, no human could begrudge you that! However, even those things the Lord calls us to put them under our relationship with Him. Now it is easy to put the Lord first when you are confident you are getting a paycheck next week or your wife will be home when you get there. However, even in today’s economy, those things are not the truths that we are called to build our lives upon. Ultimately they are not the truths that will fill our lives with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, and self-control in this world.

Men maybe from Mars and Women maybe from Venus, however God knows those things that we want as men and as women. He gave us those those desires. If you follow Him, then count the denial of success or security or whatever as a gift to the extent that it builds your relationship with Him!

1 Kings 2:3 …and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go

———————————————————-W.