I LOVE WOMEN...ONE IN PARTICULAR!

     I make no secret of the fact that I am a Christian. I also have not been shy about proclaiming that as a Christian I have been lavishly blessed. One such blessing is that I have had the privilege of associating with people who are loving, kind, and compassionate. These people perform acts of kindness not because of what they might get out of it, but rather out of real altruism. 
     Another blessing that I have received as a Christian is that I have seen the best of women. I love women for all that they are! I have seen women unselfishly sacrifice themselves for their children, their spouses, their friends and even strangers. Women possess abilities and traits that complements, not competes with, the abilities and traits found in men.
     In the beginning God created man and placed him in a garden paradise. It wasn't too long before God saw that man was not good alone so He made a help mate suitable for him...woman!
     Some people have suggested that the Bible teaches women are inferior to men or condones treating women as inferior to men. Nothing is further from the truth. The Bible tells men to "Love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her." (Ephesians 5:25) A few verses later men are told "So husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies." (Ephesians 5:28)   Further, the Apostle Paul clearly states that all people are equal in Christ. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave or freeman, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ." (Galatians 3:28) Clearly, Paul is teaching that men and women are equal before God. If women are considered to be inferior it is because of the teachings of men, not God!
     I have personally experienced the best of women, one woman in particular. I have been married to SWMBO for over 39 years. In that time I have experienced the best that a woman, through marriage, has to offer. SWMBO completes me...in the best sense of what that means. She loves me unconditionally. She is quick to forgive me when I screw up; and let me hasten to add that she has had ample practice on that score. She motivates me to be the best man, the best Christian man that I can be. I try every day to love her as Christ loves the Church and as I love myself.
     This past weekend I had the privilege of serving in the kitchen at the annual Gander Brook Lady's Retreat in Raymond, Maine. Women come from churches all over New England to spend some time away from the cares of the world, to draw closer to God, to encourage and teach each other, and to become more of what God created them to be. They are special women, indeed!
     I love women, one woman in particular! I pray God's blessing upon them!