Anti-androgyny: Man and woman are not alike

This is part one of a two part article on our identity as male and female.  It’s not intended to be an exhaustive look at either gender, rather, it’s intent to to simply examine some of the ways in which we embody God’s character.

As I try to write this article, I find that I’m actually having quite a bit of trouble even starting it; it’s very difficult to ‘break out’ of the mentality of ‘political correctness’ that has been fostered so heavily in the culture of our country these days, and that’s part of the problem overall, I believe. We, as a nation (and other parts of the world) have broken so far from the concept of ‘Biblical’ masculinity, femininity, and marriage that it’s often too easy to simply give credence to the idealized androgyny of modern society. Just as I, by habit, tend to still type two spaces after every sentence as I was taught in High School (a behaviour that was necessitated by the typewriter and monospaced font era), I find myself leaning toward what the world calls ‘normal’ even with the understanding of what the Bible teaches.  Many would call this ‘new normal’ – essentially a deviation from scriptural teaching – a proper thing, a movement in the ‘right’ direction.

It’s difficult to separate oneself from the culture in which one resides… and that’s just one of the many challenges that both genders face: How do we ‘be’ ourselves as we were created to be? Part of that, of course, is regular time in the Word, and solid interaction with believers in fellowship, accountability, and learning.

I love to build things. Wood craft, cabinetry, construction, metal working, welding, it really doesn’t matter what it is, I can lose literal hours in my workshop simply creating, designing, and building; it’s something that I don’t usually get paid for, but would be thrilled to spend the rest of my life doing. It’s part of who I am, and who I was created to be, and I firmly believe that the desire to build things with my hands is a direct manifestation of my role as a man in God’s creation. The embodiment of God’s strength in human form; God created the world, and He created us in His image. My wife, on the other hand, is vastly skilled with decorating. I would honestly be very happy with a house that had a place to sit, a place to eat, and a place to sleep, and I don’t much care for what it looks like. Function is far superior to form in my mind, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate the beauty that she is able to create in the design and decoration that she applies to our house, and she does an incredible job at it. She embodies the beauty and gentleness of God, both in her actual appearance and spirit, as well as in the things she does and creates.

We each represent a portion of God’s character.  How do you find yourself fitting in with His design?

On Friday, we’ll continue this article with a deeper look at the scripture behind this idea.