Why Can't A Woman Be More Like a Man?

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Monday, March 26, 2007 | Why Aren't Women Like Men?

In the musical My Fair Lady, Henry Higgins discovers that understanding Eliza Doolittle is not easy, and in frustration he sings: Why can’t a woman be more like a man? The tongue-in-cheek lyrics make us laugh, as we see once again this universal struggle that men and women have in understanding each other.

While it’s absolutely certain that men and women are designed by God quite differently, it is also true that one design is not better than the other. Both men and women were created in the image of God, and Paul wrote to the Galatians that there is neither male nor female in the Body of Christ, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.

Accepting and understanding the differences in how God has created us is the key to enjoying the differences, appreciating them and dealing with them. Before the fall these difficulties in communicating with and understanding the opposite sex did not exist. But sin corrupted God’s good creation, so we now deal with the effects that sin has had on all our relationships.

The good news is that Jesus came to set us free from the curse of sin, and as those who confess Jesus as Savior, we have a marvelous opportunity to demonstrate how God intended the two genders to complement and benefit each other. And we have the power to do it because of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. But we do have to work at it.

Let’s consider the different purposes for which God created men and women. Men were created for work:

Genesis 2:15~
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

He was created for a job. From the beginning, Adam’s first experiences were without human companions. Adam focused on his work, on the tasks before him. Ask a man to describe himself, and he is likely to do so in terms of his job and his achievements. Women were created for relationship:

Genesis 2:18~
The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’

She was created to be a helper suitable for the man. From the beginning, Eve’s first experiences were in human relationship. She was created married, she never went without companionship, and relationships have been the priority for women ever since Eve.

Adam was all about completing tasks and achievements. Eve was all about relating and helping.

This doesn’t mean that women never work or men never relate, but it is an insight into the reason we are different. From the very beginning, we were created for different purposes, but we were created for interdependence, not independence. God created us to need each other. We should celebrate the differences, because they are good.