Men sometimes call their wives "the other half." That's quite apt. Adam without Eve is like a violin without a bow. God gave Eve to Adam to fill that part lacking in him. She was to be his completer, not his competitor.
Let's look at some of the differences between men and women. But before we do, let's note the following qualification: These differences are general differences between the sexes that God built into creation to help men and women be better partners.
Provider/Encourager
Adam was to "dress and keep" — to cultivate — the Garden of Eden. Eve was to be his fitting helper, to encourage him and stand by his side. These differences are there, regardless of our culture's efforts to minimize them — or even to eliminate them.
Protector/Nurturer
The man is to lead, guide, and protect. That's why God made the man physically strong. But God made women to be soft, gentle, and tender because they are the life giver. These fundamental differences are bred into the nature of men and women.
Logical/Emotional
Another difference is the way men and women think. Men think logically — with their heads; women think emotionally — with their hearts. Now, that doesn't mean women can't think with logic. They just approach the world differently.
Risk/Security
Men are risk takers. God built this tendency into men because risk taking is the way to achieve new and great things in life. But the woman, being the homemaker and nurturer God intended her to be, is much more interested in creating beauty, gentleness, and security.
Big Picture/Details
Men have a propensity for seeing the big picture, while women focus on details. Men and women see issues from different perspectives. Which is right and which is wrong? Neither. God made men and women different. And conflicts are inevitable when the differences are ignored.
Insensitive/Sensitive
Men tend to be insensitive compared to women, who are very sensitive to the feelings of others. Now insensitivity taken to an extreme is bad. But men tend to have a thick skin, which is vital in certain situations.
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
The Hebrew word dabaq translated "cleave" in this verse means "to weld or to glue," like you would glue two pieces of paper together. This is God's plan for the family. If you are from a broken home, there is great reason for hope. With God's help, you can break the cycle. You can follow God's plan, which is one man and one woman to be together till death do you part.
People come into marriage asking, "What’s in this for me?" rather than "What is best for both of us?" We often hear of marriages breaking apart because of incompatibility and irreconcilable differences. Those are two words that often mean "immaturity" and "selfishness."
What about husbands and wives who say they don't love each other anymore? Love is a choice. You choose to love. Love is a commitment. The emotion follows the commitment. Without the commitment, people walk away when the crisis comes.
The Bible calls for supreme commitment. Husbands, you are to cleave to your wives — to stick with them like glue. When you try to separate two pieces of paper that are glued together, you damage both pieces. You simply cannot unglue something that has been glued together so completely.
The problem is that many who say, "I do," don’t. When they stand at the wedding altar and say "so long as we both shall live," they mean, "so long as we both shall love." "Till death do us part" becomes "till disagreement do us part."
You have to be committed to your spouse and your marriage. Husbands and wives become one flesh. And what God has joined together, let not man put asunder. Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. They were so united that there was no shame, no intimidation. They were willing to share everything without feeling threatened.
You can't win a war with your mate because the two of you are one. If you damage your spouse, you will be damaged. That doesn't mean you can't have discussions designed to help your spouse grow. But when discussions become attacks, you both lose. The damage is done.
Be good to yourself. How? By being good to your spouse.
