Strong: Embracing a Woman's Nature

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. — Ephesians 4:15

As women, our very nature and physical design are set up with nurture and tenderness in mind. We are not constructed with hard edges but gentle curves. We were created with a greater capacity for tenderness and compassion than men. We feel both love and pain deeper within our being. We are more empathetic than males and can be moved to tears over the pain, struggles, and losses of total strangers. When we are not allowed to express these emotions in a valid way, we run the risk of exploding either outwardly or inwardly.

What happens when we explode? Two of my least favorite Scriptures tell us how it plays out in the context of a marriage. This was often quoted to me in my newlywed days:

Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. — Proverbs 25:24

Or the other even less attractive version:

Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. — Proverbs 21:19

Ouch. Life on the corner of a roof would mean being exposed to the extremes of all the elements. The roof provides no shelter from rain, snow, wind, or the harsh sun. Solomon was telling us it is better to live under these conditions than shelter in a house with a quarrelsome woman. I used to argue with my husband, John, that back then they used the roof as a type of alternative to the porch, but I found the reemphasis of this Scripture hard to explain away. Better to live in the desert or wilderness with the serpents and scorpions than with an angry, grumpy, and argumentative woman.

Warring becomes wearing… not only on others but also on ourselves.