By Pat Barton, Contributor
Barton
IT IS unfortunate that we waste so much time and energy on gender bashing while missing the intent for which God created the human species.
The Book of Genesis explains God's creation order (Genesis 1 & 2). When God created Adam, He said it was not good for the man to be alone, etc.
It is time that we stop blowing wind and get to the heart of the problem. It is not that women do not know what they want in a man, but that both men and women are ignorant of each other's emotional needs and how to satisfy them.
The fact is, men and women are vastly different in their way of thinking, hence the saying, "Men are from Mars - Women are from Venus." Not only do we not think alike, we also have different emotional needs.
Surveys indicate that the most important emotional needs of men are usually the least important for women, and vice-versa. It is therefore easy to understand why men and women have so much difficulty meeting each other's needs. We lack empathy. We do for each other what we would appreciate the most for ourselves.
It is therefore easy for our efforts to please each other to be misdirected. A husband could be working his butt off every day to provide all the material things he believes his wife needs to make her happy, while neglecting other emotional needs that are more important to her, such as giving her more time and affection.
This is not to say that it is not important for a husband to take care of his responsibilities, but a 'real woman' who shares the responsibilities with her husband, either by working out or taking care of the home and children, also appreciates and cherishes the moments they spend together.
The problem is that we spend too much time trying to impress each other, instead of taking time to understand one another.
Cheating is not restricted to any particular gender. It is against God's ideal for anyone to be unfaithful in his/her marriage. However, a wife/husband who is too busy pursuing career or whatever else, albeit, to take care of family needs, runs the risk of endangering the marriage. This is one repercussion of neglecting a need that the other spouse believes is more important.
We must therefore be careful that we are not focusing on what we perceive to be the big things while overlooking the small things that usually make the big difference in our lives.
What is lacking in most relationships today is communication, understanding and compassion.
If 'real men' are staring women in their faces, a 'real woman' will know a 'real man' when she meets one.
