The End of Men (and Women and Words Too)

So I have realized recently just how not okay our culture is, especially pertaining to society's reaction to marriage and how it should work.

I've been reading "Get Married" by Candice Watters and it just got me thinking about things we reinforce, even just in our friend circles. I mean, overall I've realized a myriad of ways that this is done, from coarse joking amongst friends about sex, marriage, divorce, or even simply a "girls rule, boys drool" attitude about things. I've been the violator, too, by undermining a man's role or not upholding the right and holy pursuit of marriage (These days you ought to just say "if it happens, it happens, but I'm doing my own thing" - funny how just because it's not seen as an acceptable thing to strongly desire marriage, I pretend it's not as strong of a desire as it is). Disrespecting men is a huge problem I see with the world and even with my friends. "Boys are stupid" - how on earth is repeating this lie benefiting anyone?! By the way, have you ever noticed that women say this most when they wanted so badly for a relationship to work out and doesn't - suddenly men become far more stupid. Watters points out this is like Aesops's fox and the grapes (look it up), we say we hate what we can't have. Men and women were both obviously created in the image of God and it is a slippery slope from saying God's done badly in one area to cursing his plan for your life.

Most recently I was watching the Today show, and they happened to be doing an ambush makeover. The husband said, "Just for the record, I think she's beautiful and perfect just the way she is." I thought this was a sweet and appropriate affirmation of this woman, who didn't typically wear makeup or fix her hair. It sounded heartfelt to me, but then the woman doing this mini-interview responded with, "Smart answer, sir. Smart answer." Our culture is so bent on words and compliments being used for manipulation and maintaining status that there is little truth and reality to words. Even in a marriage relationship, couples are portrayed often with a woman who is intelligent,beautiful, independent, and supermom, and the man is typically a fat, useless, know-nothing who needs his wife to keep him in line. (This is best done, apparently, by publicly humiliating him and questioning his authority with disrespect. Yeah, that'll show him.)

Men, will you step up and be an initiator? Will you protect the purity of your brothers AND sisters in word and deed? Will you be strong enough to uphold the holiness of marriage as God intended it and discourage talk amongst friends that does otherwise? It may involve facing rejection or a blow to your pride, but would you take it to protect and pursue a woman? Make women in your life feel like women.

Women, will you stop beating down manhood? Will you, too, uphold marriage and biblical masculinity and feminity, and discourage coarse joking? Will you trust God with your identity as a woman and examine if you are living out your womanhood as God intended it? Will you stop trying to take control in all situations and put yourself under the guidance of your father, your church session, and eventually your husband? Make men in your life feel like men.

Sophy

(Sorry this is all over the place...a lot of thoughts just came together, haha!)