From the beginning, God created us as male and female and set in motion a wonderful dance of the sexes. We both reflect aspects of his divine nature, though in different ways. And these differences are often alluring and frustrating at the same time.
Of course, marriage provides a prime example of this dance. Adam recognized Eve as someone who was like him and yet also different. And there’s something about our wife that can also seem familiar and yet strange. And a large part of our life together is learning ourselves, our differences, and how we’re to fulfill the mission God has given us.
But, to be sure, this dance of the sexes is not limited to marriage. In fact, it plays out in all of our relationships – everywhere we bring our embodied selves.
The dance gives us relationships like father and mother, brother and sister, aunt, uncle, and the like. And even our interaction with strangers is informed by this dance. Everywhere we go we go as a male and interact with others as males or females respectively.
This dance allows for spark and creativity, intimacy and connection, and the chance to partner together to bring more of God’s light and goodness into the world. The microcosm of marriage is played out throughout our communities as this dance brings new life and beauty to all.
Our lives become impoverished when we deny this dance or merely reduce it to cultural stereotypes. Gender runs deep – an essential part of who God has created us to be. And we miss its goodness when we don’t honor it as such.
In the end, enjoy the creativity, intimacy, and joy that comes from the dance of the sexes. God created us as males and females to reflect his image, and to bring more life and love into the world through our dance together.
Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash
