Sunday, January 25, 2015

Bridging The Gap

I woke one morning and decided to scroll through my Facebook time line.  As I scrolled through different posts, videos, and those that had been shared by various people I noticed that as it pertains to relationships, marriage, and love many of the posts either motivated, inspired, and gave advice to the man on how to care for the woman. 

Let me first be clear in where I am going with this.  I totally appreciate and love the attention many of our high profile authors and entertainers are giving to making sure the man is better prepared and suited to love our beautiful women, however I question why isn't there a balance of motivation, inspiration, and advice given to the woman on how to care for the man??

Heartbreak isn't a feeling only experienced by the woman, it is also something men deal with as well.  So providing information on a balanced playing field could possibly bridge the gap and help with both gender's becoming more familiar with understanding what the other gender expects and desires. 

Trust me I know the underlying reason behind the 80-20 split -$$- of information being predicated on the man becoming better, however this could possibly be doing the woman a disservice as it could allow her to always feel as if she has been the victim in every failed relationship when in actuality she could have possibly altered some of her behaviors which would have sustained and enhanced a failed relationship or marriage.

To be a person who strives to create change requires a commitment to helping not only one side, but both sides because a relationship or a marriage is not one-sided.  It involves two people which means it has two sides. A circle is only a circle when it is whole, however when a line is drawn down the middle you have created a division which only allows for both sides to drift apart which can lead to possible misunderstandings or an increased desire to not work together to stay together.

I have sat in many singles meetings, singles ministries, and gatherings and it is primarily dominated by the female gender.  However, I wonder has anyone took the time to seek out why the men are not as anxious to attend these meetings? I'll give one of many reason's why the male out pour is scarce, because we take a "beating" daily whether its from social media, the next great book, or the next box office hit which could increase the revenue these "relationship experts" receive. However, are they really helping the overall cause??

I challenge every individual who speaks on relationships, love, and marriage to create of balance which will be shared for the man and the woman so that we can ultimately achieve the "goal" we desire which is to reduce the numbers of divorces and failed relationships and to increase the number of successful commitments and timeless marriages.  

Could men be at fault more often than not to why a relationship fails? Possibly, but could the woman also be at fault to why a relationship fails? Possibly, so with that in mind let us strive to help both genders understand one another so we can grow together and not apart.  

A great book once said, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another", Proverbs 27:17.

Marco Walder