One

In attempt to understand the compatibility of man and woman I have turned to scripture as my guide. Here is what I have found:

When looking at the creation of man, God knows that it isn’t good for man to be alone. While man is running around in the garden naming off all these creatures as he communes with God; God has the realization that man needs someone to keep him tied down. (haha). But seriously, why are men and women different but so uniquely compatible?

The source of the compatibility can be found in Genesis. God said “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” (Genesis 2:18). There is one word in this verse that gets the most controversy today and that is the word “helper”; this word does not mean servant. God didn’t want to make someone who would be there to serve man.

Anyways, God began to bring animals to the man asking him to name them. This began the compatibility process. God knew exactly what man needed, but God wanted to give man the free will to decide. Man found no connection with any of the beasts of the land, livestock of the field, birds of the air or fish of the sea; man was still alone. God stepped in.

God took that time to execute the first of His many plans. God caused man to go into deep sleep (this was the first recorded use of anesthesia), and then God pulled one of man’s ribs from him and closed the opening back up. From man’s rib, he formed woman and brought her to the man to be named. “Finally!” the man exclaimed, “this one is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh and she shall be called woman because she was taken from man. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” Genesis 2:23-24

What was so different about this creature than any other creature? That’s exactly it, this creature was not different from man. Both man and woman share the breath of life, they are spiritual beings. Rob Bell in his movie entitled Everything is Spiritual states that God’s creation was a progression. It progressed from less complicated land, sea, sky; to trees and seed; and then to animals; and finally it culminated with mankind. Mankind is the only creation that the breath of the Holy Spirit was breathed into. Man and woman have more in common than we see today.
There is a reason that the author says that man will be joined to his wife as one after leaving his father and mother. I wonder how this happens, when I see the amount of divorce and failed relationships of men and women in the world. It is a great mystery that this bond can even be made in a sin-rid world.

Paul writes about this line in Ephesians. He writes: “This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” Ephesians 5:32. So when the writer talks about man leaving his father and mother he is talking about Jesus? Who would have ever thought that Jesus would be present that early on in creation?

All of a sudden everything seems to make much more sense. Christ is the man; Christ is the husband being joined to his wife, the Church as one. This glorious day will prove to be at the culmination of the ages, so how can we live this out today?
Relationships. Man and woman working together remaining compatible despite obvious distinctions. Men and women think differently, talk differently, act differently, and even live differently. The one thing that I have come to learn is that the one glue that holds men and women together is Christ. Just as Christ will be joined to His wife, the Church; may Christ be joined within you as you form relationships with the man who can never understand you, or the woman who is always so emotional. For Christ is the center of our lives and the center of our relationships. He will join your relationships as one.