Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
1 Corinthians 11:11-12

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Maybe you’ve heard some of these before: “Girls rule! Boys drool!”; “You throw like a girl!”; “Girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider.” On the school playground, they may seem harmless—and often they are. Seemingly harmless jokes and one-liners may make us laugh. But when they consistently show up, they can shape our views and thoughts. In the case of these gender-pitting playground sayings, we can hear them enough and begin to believe that in fact, boys or girls are better than the other. 

Today’s Scripture paints a different story—the true story of God’s intention for men and women. God created us to be interdependent. Though God created Adam first and Eve came from Adam’s body, since then, men have been born from women’s bodies. Neither would continue to exist without the other. 

When we jump back to the Garden of Eden, before sin enters the world, we see a beautiful picture. Genesis tells us that God created men and women in His image (Gen. 1:27). The beauty of this verse, and in the context of Creation, is that humanity is the only created thing that can bear God’s image—the animals cannot and neither can nature, as stunning as it may be. To fully image Himself, God had to make two humans, not just one. One had to be male, and one had to be female. And one cannot continue to exist without the other.    

Ultimately, remembering that God created both men and women puts concerns about superiority in perspective. Individually, we can image God, but together, we bring about a fuller image of Him. It’s a bit of a mystery—how can the Triune God exhibit maleness and femaleness—but nonetheless, it should encourage us to choose to value the other greatly on this side of eternity. 

So, while the playground has the potential to shape our view of the opposite gender, as followers of Jesus, we have an even greater call—to heed the Word of God and honor Him by recognizing that neither is better than the other. In fact, we need one another to fully complete the image of the One who made us. 

Next Steps

Life is difficult, and there are real challenges we face based on our gender. Even still, we are called to elevate one another and do our best, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring out the best in each other. Resisting the temptation to succumb to beliefs of gender superiority can be difficult. Take some time with God today, and ask Him to show you if you’re holding a grudge or need to ask for forgiveness for living into some form of gender superiority.