Men Ain't Dumb

The older I get the more I realize just how different men are from women. My wife and I have done a

bit of relationship counseling for couples over the years and have seen how most people assume that their significant other is just like them.

Girls assume guys are just hairy girls.
Guys assume girls and just pretty men.

Basically, we are convinced that the opposite sex thinks about and sees the world, life, and relationships in the same way we do. But, it ain't so.

I've learned a lot about women, being married to one! However, while women take a lot to understand, it is men who are most often misunderstood in our culture. Most commercials or TV shows with a couple, for example, will portray the guy as a dope and the woman as the insightful genius.

Lots of educational philosophy has fought against male tendencies as well. Boys, some say, are too competitive, too insensitive, too physical. So, we should not have competitive games in class, some experts say. Also, we should give trophies to every member of the baseball team and so on so no one feels bad.

I'm reading a book right now by a woman who has dedicated her life and career to understanding

men, Alison Armstrong. I really feel like her insights are relevant to both guys and girls, single or dating. The insights are not just helpful for romantic relationships, but any interactions you have with other males in your life from family to bosses. Plus, I think guys need to learn about themselves because so much of our culture hates on us for being men, including, sometimes, our Christian culture.

When I was a teenager, I began walking with the Lord for the first time in my life. It was an incredible experience and I longed to live out my faith radically. You may have heard the phrase, "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater." Well, so much of what I saw in men was so unlike how I wanted to live my faith, that I tossed it all. Some of that was good. But other parts were not, and it wasn't until my 30s when I went to counseling that I discovered parts of my masculinity that I needed to reclaim.

So, the next few posts will be insights from Armstrong's book and my experiences as well. I hope they help you see new ways to look at the men around you and that God was not being dumb when He made them.