In creating women, God gave the world some wonderful gifts that He did not unveil when He formed men. Women are uniquely vessels of God’s beauty, goodness, and truth, and yes, this post is filled with stereotypes. Not every woman surpasses every man in every one of these tests, but as a whole, women score much higher in these categories than men. Our Father is responsible for women scoring higher in these areas, so if we miss them, we’re dishonoring His generosity to us.
1. Women are kinder, gentler, and softer than men.
When charities make telemarketing calls, they’d rather speak with the lady of the house. It is common for children to prefer correction from their mother rather than their father. The Holy Spirit produces kindness and gentleness and mothers usually set the standard here rather than fathers. The father’s wrath usually burns hotter than the mother’s sometimes pointing us to the perfect hatred in God Himself. The mother’s grace and consideration usually brightens the home more the man’s sometimes pointing us to the perfect kindness in God Himself.
2. They nurture children.
Closely connected to the first, women are specially designed by God to raise and nurture children (Titus 2:4-5). Because of their higher impulse toward gentility, infants flourish under their care. Our language talks about a “mother’s love” for her children, but not a father’s. Is this some kind of subtle disrespect for men? No more so than praising a minivan for passenger transport over a pick-up truck. These traits are so valuable that the nursing quality of moms should be imitated by pastors (1 Thess. 2:7). Jehovah compares himself to a hen watching her young not a rooster ruling his territory (Ps. 91:4; Matt. 23:37).
3. They have babies.
I’ve sometimes heard women speak about men who think, “A woman’s only good for having babies.” While the word “only” is too far, having babies is a vital role for women. Like saying derisively, “That truck is only good for transport.” Think of the predicament humanity would be in without this benefit. First of all, there would be no humanity. Secondly, men desire a family and the health and growth of society, but they are incapable and incompetent to birth or nurse babies. “She shall be saved in childbearing” points us all back to the vital role that mothering occupies. The virtuous, complete woman of Proverbs 31 is a busy mother first of all.
4. They foster relational communication.
Women score higher typically in language arts than men, and it is common for both sexes to comment on feminine agility with reading emotions in others and expressing it themselves. Scripture warns them about gossip (1 Tim. 4:7; Tit. 2:3) which implies what many experience: Women want to build personal relationships based on expressing mutual feelings.
5. They beautify the world.
Not only do women physically beautify the world with their hair, their higher voices, their gentler frames, and their overall floral appearance in contrast to men’s arboreal presence, women also tend to beautify their homes with cleanliness, orderliness, color, life, and art. Their clothes are typically more vibrant and eye-catching, and even the social structures they encourage such as benefit societies, children’s parties, and public parks tend to make life more attractive, comfortable, and desirable.
6. They are practical.
It would be shocking and a constant failure if someone were given the responsibility and gifting to bear and nurse children, to keep the home, and to help a man yet she was not practically minded. Women think about the details; they marry themselves to methods that help them keep all the complexities of their calling in balance. What pleasure would there be when two families meet if the floor was not cleaned, the toilet roll had not been restocked, baby cups had not been arranged, and the food was insufficient, late, and raw? Every time we enjoy visits in our homes, the pleasure and comfort we take for granted was made possible usually by the consistent, exhausting, detail-catching eye of the woman of the house.
7. They live longer.
If living is a benefit, they have more of it than men. And since most deaths are not suicides, we may safely infer that people want to live longer. Women do this better than men. So, who’s the stronger sex?
8. They picture Christ’s submission to the Father better than men.
His pattern at creation represents the best possible world that could have been made. Had there been a better kind of world conceivable, He would have made it that way (Ps. 115:3). He is the one who chose to make a certain kind of person to picture the Father’s headship and yet another person to point our hearts toward the beauty of Christ’s submission to the Father (1 Cor. 11:3). Is Christ’s submission not beautiful? Could the Father have used another better means to picture it here on earth? If there were a better way to show His own perfections would He not have done it? The world we live in—including the women in it—was intentionally designed to display the fountain of God’s infinite perfections. So, we must conclude that since God designed women for this end, that they are uniquely suited to this end better than any man. And since this end is the grand demonstration of God’s beauty, then it is a very important advantage God has generously bestowed on Eve and her daughters.
You may think of an individual man or woman who don’t fit one or more of these categories, but the exceptions should serve to prove the rule. Women can’t do some things very well, and other things they can’t do at all. But there is a significant field of play whereon men as a team consistently lose to their feminine superiors.
