Do You Need A Man Cave? #dvmc
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Now I’ve been accused on numerous occasions about the idea of male/female stereotypes and playing into them in sermons, teaching moments, etc. When I’ve talked about men I’ve referenced NASCAR, Football, Grillin’ Out, and Building and/or Breaking Stuff (sometimes the building leads to breaking- a limb. Seriously, it happens). In bringing up Women, I’ve talked about things like Shopping, Gettin’ Your Hair Did’, Lifetime, Jon & Kate Plus 8 (RIP), Pedicures, and “Girl Talk.”
When did we get so PC and sensitive? Women can love Football and Men can go shopping- that’s fine and dandy. But, these concepts and stereotypes aren’t anything new, right? When was the last time you saw an NFL or ESPN commercial with all ladies in it cheering and spilling beer everywhere? Or better yet, name the last instance when the Lifetime Network showed a movie where the Dude was the hero, star, and protagonist and the lady was the dirt bag, killer or all around jerk?
Exactly. It’s like seeing a unicorn, finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or husband that loves to spoon and shares the covers. They don’t exist. In this new era of guys being metrosexual and girls wanting to “be one of the guys,” we’ve somehow been thrown for a loop…
“Does what I do define my sexuality or gender?”
“If I don’t like sports or grilling meat am I not a man?”
“If I’m not into pink girlie outfits and shopping, am I not a woman?”
“You can only be a man if you hunt, kill, and eat your food!”
“You’re a women if you get a mani/pedi and hair done every month!”
We’ve been sold a bill of goods. These things do not define you as a person- Male or Female. God lays out what it looks like to be a man or woman in the Bible. We see this in 1 Peter 3:1-7 and Ephesians 5:22-33. We see that the Man leads like Jesus would lead and the Woman follows the direction of her Godly spouse. That doesn’t mean He is better than Her. It’s what God designed and it’s a beautiful thing. It also lays out how the Husband is to treat his Wife with respect, love, and serve her (don’t hear too many men talking about how much they love serving their wives these days eh?).
With God laying out what defines us and not our culture, I think we can enjoy laughing, talking about, and looking at the “surface” stereotypes we see everyday concerning men and women. I think it’s perfectly fine to embrace some of these things. Let’s let men be men and women be women. Men, by design, are prone to conquer, overcome adventure, and get the girl. Women, on the other hand, tend to be more nurturing, thoughtful, and long to be taken care of. That’s why “Chick Flicks” are called just that. They deal with romance, love, corny lines that no guys say, and the guy always pursues and gets the girl.
So let’s remember WHO truly defines us. As long as you know that, it’s alright to embrace or not embrace the stereotypes. I will continue to embrace it- because I cannot stand The Notebook, hate shopping, and refuse to wear pink (no matter how cool or hip it becomes).
Jason *over and out*
