To the Men

Men. Men. Men.

We were created to be your helpmeet. We were created because "it is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18). God has made it clear that you need us! God is our first priority. You are our second priority. (Well, you should be. That's another topic for another day. Don't worry though. I will cover that! It's a burden that's been on my heart recently.)

We were created to be your helper. Women have taken that and used it to say that we can do everything you can do AND have babies! Women have used that as an excuse to say "I don't need a man."

Please don't believe that. We need you too. We know you go to work for MANY hours each day. We know you work hard while you're there. We know you want to unwind when you get home. We know you need some quietness. We know you need peace. We know you need some personal space. We know that. We respect that. We want nothing more than to give you that.

I'm not gonna sit here and try to convince you that we (as stay-at-home moms/women or as working moms/women) work just as hard as you. I'm not gonna try to point out our job description and everything we think and feel and do in a single day. We are not in a competition. Whether you work harder or we do does not matter. If God is our first priority, we will each be doing what He has called us to do. There is no comparison. We each follow God, and do His work.

That doesn't change the fact that just as you need us, we need you. You are our protector. I don't know what the technical definition is for that word, but as a woman, I can tell you it's not just a physical protection.

It's emotional. We need to be able to be wrapped in your arms, lean our head on your chest, and cry. We need to be able to talk to you about our fears and sorrows. We need to be able to share our joys. We don't just need to know that we can share with you. We need to know you care about what we're sharing.

It's mental. We need to know you're present and available for your family. Just because you're in the room doesn't mean you're here with us. We need you to unplug - from the TV, from the phone, from the internet, from the video games, from the books, from etc, etc, etc.

We need to know that you're willing to do things you don't particularly enjoy because you know it is something that is important to us. We need you to invest in us. There would probably be a lot fewer women complaining about having to endure sports with their husbands if there were more husband willing to "unplug" from all distractions and play a board game or go for a walk or browse antique stores.

It's spiritual. We need you to lead us closer to God. We need you to initiate Bible reading and praying together. Not just when times are tough but when they're good as well. We need you to remind us that God 1.) is in control of all things and 2.) has given us much to be thankful for.

It's financial. When we're freaking out about how we're gonna pay the bills and fix the car and take the kids to the doctor and eat dinner, we need you to remind us that it's okay, necessary even, to relax and spend a dollar to rent a movie. When we're on a spending spree, spending every penny in sight, we need you to remind us that we need to be more responsible with our money. We need you to remind us that there are things that need to be taken care of. When you're freaked out about money and how to pay the bills, etc, we need you to remember that sometimes even a 50 cent candle goes a long way to removing depression. When you're on a spending spree, we need you to remember that we are trying to figure out how to pay for school supplies and provide clothing for that child that won't stop growing.

Of course, it is physical. We need you to remember that while we were home all day and may not have taken a shower or gotten dressed until 5 minutes before you walked in the door, we weren't being lazy all day. We need you to remember that we have been working non-stop all day. When we are 8 months pregnant and weigh 1,000 pounds we need you to make us sit down and rest. (We might need you to put us on a diet too!!!) When we have 500 kids running around the house all day, we need you to read the weariness in our eyes, like we do for you, and help us fill plates or put laundry in the dryer. We need you understand that bed time goes a lot smoother for everyone involved when you help tuck kids in bed. They haven't been with you all day. They need you. We need you.

We look up to you. We honor you. We respect you. We don't talk bad about you to our friends and family. We remain faithful to you. We pray for you. We help you. Help us to help you. We need your protection. We need you. We want you. We love you.