In Search of the Proverbs 31 Man The One God Approves and a Women Wants

Introduction IDENTITY IN CRISIS SomeoneI think it was a bitter womanonce said, "Men! Can't live with them, can't kill them!" I have my own version of this expression: "Men! Can't live without them, though sometimes living with them may take a bit of work." But let's face it, most men would say the same thing about dealing with women! Ladies and gentlemen, I must confess that I am grieved. As I travel around the country and speak with both men and women, I have seen that our struggle to find lasting love and nurturing relationships is at an all-time high. The men are confused. They no longer know what women want or need from them. The women are disappointed and frustrated. They always ask the same questions: "Where are the men?" "What is wrong with them?" "Why are they not able to commit?" "Why are they such wimps?" I assure you up front that I have not set out to write a man-bashing book. Instead, I hope to champion God's original design for a man's life. I hope to encourage men and women alike with the following truth: Though perfection in any gender cannot be achieved this side of heaven, worthy efforts can be made with the help of the Holy Spirit. Why is this so important? Because we women need real men in our lives. And because God needs real men in His service. Let's consider for a moment the crisis that threatens relationships between men and women today. A famous feminist once said that women have become the men they desire. Eww! Why? Perhaps because the world has distorted our roles and perspectives on gender traits. In our politically correct efforts to create a world of equality, we have created instead a great big tangled ball of yarn, with the liberating strand eluding us. We have lost sight of the God-given, unique strengths we have to offer each other as men and women. As women have become more independent, self-sufficient, and powerful in the business world, I believe many have accepted the subtle lie that they no longer need men. The men, not knowing what is expected of them any longer, have largely abdicated (or been forced to resign) their posts as leaders, protectors, and providers. On the other hand, the "every woman can be her own island" mentality is hard to sustain. Women have begun to groan under the weight of all they're doing and wonder why men no longer step up to the plate. Weariness has set in. So has compromise. For the sake of having a man, countless women have begun to settle for a new, watered-down version of manhood. Yet these women long for more. Not realizing that low expectations of men further perpetuate the downward trend, women sigh, "Oh well, men just aren't what they used to be." I beg to differ. I believe that in the heart of every man is a desire to be the man his spirit knows he was created to be. Yet staggering numbers of men fear rejection, and so they settle for far less than what is required of them. Even so, these same men subconsciously resent women, who in their eyes have stripped them of their manhood. A man in such a position digs in his heels. He determines that the ultimate revenge for being backed into a corner by a strong woman is to let her flail just to prove she'd have been better off if she'd let him handle things in the first place. The Great Man Behind the Great Woman In truth, women don't want to handle all of life on their own. Though doing everything faster than a speeding bullet, hurdling all aspects of life in a single bound, and leaping over tall dilemmas sounds admirable, none of us is Superwoman. The average woman gets stressed just reading about the virtuous woman soHammond, Michelle McKinney is the author of 'In Search of the Proverbs 31 Man The One God Approves and a Women Wants', published 2003 under ISBN 9781578564514 and ISBN 1578564514.