Celebrating the Differences

Feb 28, 2013 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

I’m sitting on a plane next to a tall, fit man. He’s the father of the beautiful baby girl sitting on his wife’s lap next to him. So far he has been very attentive to his little family and kind to me. He is every part the gentleman.

I just looked over and saw the title of the book he is reading, “How to Be a Woman.” I’m stifling hysterical laughter right now.  I certainly don’t want to have to explain why I am laughing. But then, I stop to think…. This man loves his wife so much that he wants to learn more about what makes her tick. That is really beautiful.

How much time do we really spend trying to figure out how our spouse thinks, feels, dreams? Do we know their desires and the things that drive them crazy?  As male and female, we have many differences. If we were all the same, God would have made us look all the same. But we have different bodies, different hormones surging through our system. And we, in general, have different approaches to life.

DISCLAIMER: Before I receive all kinds of mail angry about our claims, hear me out. We are not saying that ALL men and ALL women are exactly the same. That would be crazy talk. There are traits that do cross over genders. But for the most part, God designed us to be uniquely male or uniquely female. And we celebrate that.

I love that my husband doesn’t think or reason like me. For one, he sure adds mystery to my life and keeps me on my toes trying to figure out just what he is thinking. But more importantly, his differences compliment who I am and visa versa. In the same way that God made us physically different so that we fit together in perfect unity, He created us mentally and emotionally different to compliment one another and work together as one.

So be glad you are the gender you are and that your spouse is not the same. But at the same time, learn about who they are and in what ways you can be a true helpmate to your spouse. The team is truly stronger when both halves are working in unison. Celebrate your differences!

~Jim and Jerolyn