A question...

[Thomas1984]

“Love is the feeling that grows over time when a man and woman trust each other for companionship, understanding and support. The other kind of love is worship, and that is reserved for God alone. Fulfillment for a man comes from discovering what he was born to do, and doing it. God has given every man a mission. A man becomes a man when he finally believes in himself, and doesn’t put any man or woman above him. These men don’t need women, except to help them fulfill their mission. They are the real men real women want.”


I read this statement the other day and wondered what others would make of it. Do you agree or disagree with it, and to what extent?

Personally, I can relate to the sense of needing a purpose for my life and that purpose being linked to something greater than just myself. This leads me to my next question:

To those of you who are women, how would you feel about being in the position presented in the statement?

To me, it seems like an incomplete description of a wife's role in marriage, yet I would love to spend the rest of my life with someone who shared my dreams and ideals.

What do you make of it?

 

[white dove]

The same can be said for women. Men are not the only ones with a mission or missions in life.


To further dissect it:

“Love is the feeling that grows over time when a man and woman trust each other for companionship, understanding and support."

Love is the "feeling," sure, but it also the type of service that grows over time. Both men and women do acts of service in love and support for one another; acts that help the home run more smoothly, acts that help lessen the load of the other, acts that prove they appreciate the other person, acts that prove self-sacrificial.



"The other kind of love is worship, and that is reserved for God alone."

True. We are to put others ahead of ourselves in some ways, but true worship belongs to God alone.

"Fulfillment for a man comes from discovering what he was born to do, and doing it. God has given every man a mission."

As I mentioned, women too, can claim this. It is important for all cognizant people to find their purpose and to live it out. There is nothing like the feeling of being called to something and actually raising up to do it. This isn't exclusive of men.


"A man becomes a man when he finally believes in himself, and doesn’t put any man or woman above him.

The same can be said for women. And I think this refers to how when we are children, much of who we are are has to do with how our parents raise us. Much of our identity is linked to them and our relation to them. When we are adults, we begin discovering our own path independent of others - ideally. If we are Christians, we begin to identify more with our identity in Christ than in any other person in this world.


"These men don’t need women, except to help them fulfill their mission. They are the real men real women want.”

You could take this offensively or inoffensively. The first sentence could imply women's lack of importance in a man's life; likewise, men's lack of importance in women's lives. Or, it could simply state that we are all intertwined and need each other as much as the next person. The second statement implies something we all know. Neither men nor women want someone who needs them like they need air to breathe. Ideally, we partner up with someone who is a need on a whole other level. It doesn't mean you stop living if this person passes away. It does mean, however, that you would be willing to do whatever was in your abilities to help that person in becoming more of the person God has called them out to be - and again, vice versa for that partner.

 

[Thomas1984]

The same can be said for women. Men are not the only ones with a mission or missions in life.

Yeah, the lack of compromise didn't seem realistic.

 

[Keri]

I voted no.

 

[Blank123]

hm... I'm not sure honestly... description sounds a little self-centered. Or maybe I'm reading it wrong. Just sounds like the man is the be-all and end-all of the relationship, and a wife is a tag-along.

Love is a feeling... that always irks me. Yes there are feelings that come with love, but its not a feeling in and of itself. But as for it growing over time through companionship and trust... that I will agree with. Love doesn't occur overnight. It takes time and serious investment in that other person and getting to know that they are who they say they are.

God must always be first and God gives us all one common purpose in life. To seek Him, To worship Him, To serve Him, To share Him. He may guide us in specific areas beyond that, but we all have that mission. I look for the spirit of servanthood in a man. I want to know that he is capable of thinking of others before himself. I want to know that he has a heart for serving God and not just looking to fulfill himself in selfish ways. I mean we all are self-serving to a degree, but I'd rather be with someone who is capable of seeing the world and people around him.

A man who is content in that spirit of servanthood... thats an attractive man. Thats a real man.

And the reverse of everything I just said is also true for women.

 

[Thunder Peel]

Love is about putting someone else's needs ahead of your own. Women are called to be helpmates but that doesn't mean they simply serve the man and all of his desires. They have their own callings and dreams and men need to support them and love them as God commands. The man may be the spiritual head of the household but that doesn't make him any more important.

 

[JonahGirl]

Unless I am misunderstanding something, I agree with this statement. I believe that our love for God is more important than anything else. Love for another mortal is just an extension of that, a way to share God's grace. If we begin to love someone so greatly that it becomes more important to us than God, I do believe that is worship and that it's dangerous. This is dangerous to us and to our relationship. This thinking leads one to think that a wife should be part of the man's purpose and the husband should be part of the wife's, for God...

There was a time, right around when I first became a Christian, a couple came into the restaurant I was working in. The man wore a hat that said "Jesus is my boss". I commented on it and he put his arm around his wife and said, "I love him more than my wife and she is okay with that." I didn't understand it at the time. I internally made a questioning face. I do understand now, and am looking for the same thing.

 

[snoopy500]

I voted no.

same with me.