For Men Only

Found this in a book today.

Shaunti said this was an example of where the woman really wanted him to come after her.
I asked, "But why didn't she just tell him that she wanted him to stop her from leaving? Why play games and make him read her mind?"
She looked at me, totally astonished. "Because if she said, 'Come after me,' it wouldn't mean anything! It would be her decision, not his. She'd always doubt whether he did it on his own or because she asked him and guilted him into it."
Oh. Now I get it.

For Men Only, Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn

My first instinct? That's dumb. But then I remembered that even when things don't completely make sense within my biased and flawed man-logic, that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't true. And a little while later, I even had to admit to myself that it does make sense. Ugh.

The book is overflowing with revelations and wisdom on guy-girl relationships, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. But while the relational aspects of this passage are beneficial, I was struck even more by the spiritual parallels.

Try it: reread the quote, replacing every 'she'/'her'/'the woman' with 'God'.

I've heard it said that the problem of a silent God is one of the hardest questions to answer. I think this idea sheds some light on it - God could simply tell us to come after Him, but it wouldn't mean anything. God desires to be known, to be pursued, to know that to us He's worth coming after, just like women desire those things from their husband. Occasionally, He pulls away, giving us the opportunity to chase Him, come to know Him better, even show Him that we think He is worth it. I admit I still struggle with liking it, even accepting it. But deep down, I think there's a lot of truth to it.

(thanks to EY for this next part.)

Now, try it the other way - reread it, replacing 'he'/'him' with 'God' (and put yourself in the position of the woman).

We get another picture of God's love for us - that He desires to know us, pursues us, and shows that, to Him, we are worth coming after. As a guy, this has always been a little harder for me to relate to. After all, us guys are the ones that should be pursuing! But I think that's also why He gives us clearer examples of this. When Christ came to earth as a man, in a way God was following us out of the Garden of Eden. Or think of the parable of the 100 sheep, where the shepherd leaves the 99 to go after the one. God is continually showing us that He thinks we are worth coming after.

I think that these pictures of God fit within the creation story as well:

"In the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

We are both created in the image of God, yet we are two completely separate entities. Men demonstrate certain aspects of His character; women, others.

One last thought - we get an even clearer picture of God when these two sets of characteristics come together in one body.

Marriage, anyone?