Made in the Image of God

Men and women both have gender-typical characteristics that, when looked at closely, you can actually see a connection to the divinely appointed roles in the family proclamation. I find that super fascinating! God designed male and female the way that they are to be perfect partners for each other in marriage, and in having and raising a family. In the confusion of the world, it is important to remember that God doesn’t make mistakes and you are the gender that you are for a reason. God knows you, loves you, and made you the exact way you are for a purpose. 

When we study female-typical characteristics, we see that women are typically more nurturing and cooperative. They make decisions based off how that decision will affect others and themselves. Women are more emotionally expressive, and sensitive to other’s emotions as well. They also orient themselves based on landmarks, more so than North, East, South, and West, which I can totally attest to because I am terrible at directions. I never know which way I’m facing or driving, and I rely a lot on landmarks to get me from point A to point B. Who else can relate to this? Females also tend to shy away from physical confrontation and would rather tear others down with their words. I can also attest to this, as I grew up in a house with 5 sisters and no brothers. We would never physically fight, but boy could we hurt each other with our words. Women also tend to think about a lot of things all at once and can’t solely focus on one task very easily. Most of these characteristics align really well with the mother’s role of being a nurturer, as it is stated in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Again, these are female-typical characteristics, and will vary from person to person. Remember, God loves you and made you the way that you are for a reason. 

Some male-typical characteristics include because very active and physical, being very combative and willing to fight, as well as being competitive and wanting to win those fights they get into. They also have an all or nothing mentality and are kind of one track minded. Men also tend to be more aggressive and are better at spatial orientation and knowing where they are when blindfolded. These characteristics can help men to be better providers, presiders, and protectors over their family, again showing that God designed us the way that we are and designed marriage between men and women to provide the best environment for learning and growing in family life.  

Something else that is fascinating is that women typically have more white matter in the brain, which connect parts of the brain together. Men have more grey matter in their brains, which is for processing and storage. I think this supports the fact that women are able to connect the parts of their lives a little bit easier, and men are more one-track minded. I love that we can make this connection and see that because women are better multi-taskers, they are able to watch a lot of children and make sure they are all staying safe. Men are better at focusing on one task, which helps them be able to better focus at work to provide for their families. 

By divine design, men and women fit perfectly together and balance each other out very well in their characteristics. Women need men to help them stay focused on one task at a time, and men need women to calm them down and help them to be more civilized. Women were designed to be a “helpmeet” for men. In the bible dictionary it defines meet as: “fitting, proper, qualified, suitable.” I love that. Men and women are designed as equal partners and fit together as God designed them to. Remember that first and foremost, God made you, He loves you, He knows you individually, and wants you to come back to Him. By divine design, men and women can help each other to get back to our Heavenly Father, which is why having a spouse and a family is so important. 

Thank you for reading, and I hope you all have a great week!

Love, Annie