God made men and women different by design, not by their decision. And those design differences are the foundation for a complimentary relationship. But Satan uses the differences to create conflict and arguments about who is better.

Worse, Satan distorts the idea that the design of men and women is not "wired in"; instead, it is a personal decision based on how you feel!

"So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them." - Genesis 1:27

Satan is the father of confusion. He does not encourage the simplicity of God's creation design of men and women. Instead, He promotes a fantasy world where you decide your design rather than accept your design. 

The research in The New Atlantis article below is helpful in the current identity discussion. Of course, it falls short of the straightforward truth in God's Word.

Hormones Are the Foundation of the Different Designs

The different designs are apparent when you look at the primary hormones of men and women. For example, please take a look at the simple lists below. 

Before going further, please note that a man needs "significance" and "respect." But a woman's primary need is "safety, security," and "to be loved." With that in mind, look at God's information in Ephesians 5:22-31.

Designs of Men and Women

Do you notice any similarity between the needs and the hormone lists? You can summarize the testosterone list with these two words - powerful and separate. And you can summarize the estrogen-progesterone list with - relational and belonging.

Of course, a man may not identify with each word in the left column, and a woman may not identify with each word on the right. And that is expected because it points to an important issue. There are 2 "D" words for each person - DESIGN and DEVELOPMENT.

This may be a silly example but consider a butter knife. The DESIGN of a butter knife allows it to spread butter or similar softer items. Can it be used for other things? Certainly! You can use it as a steak knife, flathead screwdriver, or hammer. But that is different from what it was DESIGNED to do. Additionally, it would not do those things well. For the butter knife to do those other tasks better, its design needs to be altered.

Now assume the butter knife can make decisions. Suppose it wants to be something other than a butter knife. Of course, that decision does not change its DESIGN, so it is in a difficult situation. It wants to be a different way than the way it is designed. That thinking then drives the need for other decisions and actions. For example, it may try to override the design through DEVELOPING different actions: act more like a hammer, convince itself that it is a hammer, or live like a hammer. Obviously, it could also resort to altering its DESIGN to be more like a hammer. 

Think about it! Wouldn't it be easier to live in the reality that it is a butter knife? And, despite any changes, the original design is still valid, even if altered.

That may be a silly example, but it is what the pseudo-intellectuals propose for human beings. Worse, they want to teach young children that is normal behavior.

Practical Application

In my leadership and relationship coaching, when I help men and women understand their design, it helps them do their roles better. For example, when I work with women executives, I want them to know their best leadership will come through their fantastic ability to relate rather than be powerful. When they try to be powerful, it takes them out of their design.

The world teaches women power, but their power comes through relating, not becoming more like a man. When women try to act more like men, it too often becomes the "B" word. So, moving back into their exceptional relational design is better than developing something outside their design.

For men, the world wants them to be more relational, like a woman. Why? Because the world sees masculinity as destructive. But power is constructive as well as destructive. For example, nuclear power is constructive (atomic electric generating plant) or destructive (bomb). The same is true of the power of testosterone. 

So, men and women who learn how to operate in their design see it is more productive and reduces stress and tension.

To remind us, here is excellent and Godly thinking about men and women.

Interesting Research

There are numerous research studies and books that verify the differences between men and women. BUT it is not politically correct to talk about how different men are from women. While it is obvious from simple observation and research, the differences are downplayed, discouraged, and dismissed.

Read Brain Sex: The Real Difference Between Men & Women written by Anne Moir and David Jessel. It doesn't pose as exhaustive research, but is good information about the differences. And, these differences, if ignored, create problems for you and your relationships.

Finally, an interesting article in a blog on the Daily Signal is worth reading. The title is "Almost Everything the Media Tell You About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Is Wrong". The full article is on The New Atlantis. It isn't about the differences between men and women, but it is about decisions on identity. The research doesn't discuss the clear designs that God has ordained, but they do provide 4 conclusions in the right direction:

The research does not support homosexuality or heterosexuality as biological and does not support it as a decision either. They just state it is "complex". That is the standard side step when you do not have a clear "Who said so" like the Bible, did not gather enough data, or just want to be inclusive.

One conclusion they did state. Sexual abuse of children alters the development of that child. They do not conclude that it changes the design of the child, just the development. From that piece of information, it is easy to see why there is such a push for sex education and even perversion education for elementary school children.

PURSUING THEIR BEST - Freedom in Relationships