“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible … all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16-17, ESV).
God loves the differences He has woven throughout His creation, especially the differences between men and women. He created us to be different. But remember that He celebrates not only our differences, but also our union! Men and women were never meant to play on opposite sides. They were intended to be members of the same team.
Culture and tradition have given men and women confusing, confining messages about their respective roles. Sadly, as a church, we haven’t always handled the gender war any better. Instead of encouraging men and women to flourish, we have too often stripped women of their identity and asked them to step back so that all we can see is the image of men. But from the beginning, it was not good for the woman to remain hidden in the image of man. In Eden, Adam’s side was opened and the woman was created. Eve’s image had to come forth.
Adam recognized that something was missing in the garden, something he had never even seen before! When God created Eve, it wasn’t so she could take Adam’s place. Man and woman were made different and designed to work together.
When men and women are divided by their differences, everyone loses. When we don’t do life the way God intended, we forfeit our unique positions of power and strength. Men were not created to dominate women, just as women were not created to rule over men. We are to live together in unity. Our differences are to be celebrated, not destroyed.
In Christ, we live in one kingdom as sons and daughters of the King. There are not separate male and female kingdoms.
Perhaps you have dishonored your brothers or sisters in Christ. Or maybe you have been confined or defined by a false message about your identity. It is time for all of us to shake off the hurt and misconceptions. Let’s start loving one another and pursuing unity—just as we were created to do.
“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. … We have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:12-13, NLT).
Adapted from Fight Like a Girl (Faith Words, 2006) by Lisa Bevere.
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