Men and Women Together

 This might be a controversial topic, but in this entry I will be discussing divine roles of men and women and how that builds families. I was reading a talk about how God loves us enough to have a perfect plan for us. I know this is true. Dallin H. Oaks says this about men and women, "Fundamental to us is God’s revelation that exaltation can be attained only through faithfulness to the covenants of an eternal marriage between a man and a woman. That divine doctrine is why we teach that “gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” It is important for young adults to know that marriage and family is pure happiness. It is not only the way that God designed it, but I believe that marriage between a man and a women will bring the most happiness.

When I didn't want anything to do with marriage or building a family of my own, I didn't truly understand the weight and importance marriage and family have. But, after learning, and understanding what my future family and marriage could look like, it makes me want it. I have designed, from what I have observed from others, a marriage that doesn't sound fun. It actually sounds miserable to be married. It's important for us to broaden our perspective so that we can see other examples that are different from what we have seen, whether they are good or bad.

In class, we talked about the differences between men and women. Are these differences created by cultures? Are there even any differences between men and women?

Many have observed that our behaviors are linked to our specific genders. Even from birth, babies show behaviors that are different from each other. "Children as young as 9 months-old prefer to play with toys specific to their own gender, the study found, suggesting that boys and girls follow different developmental trajectories with respect to selection of gender-typed toys." (https://www.acsh.org/news/2016/07/22/infants-prefer-toys-by-gender utm_source=email+marketing+Mailigen&utm_campaign=News+7.29.16&utm_medium=email)

"“Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences—with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood” (“The Role of Righteous Women,” Ensign, Nov. 1979, 102)." God made us to be equal with each other. Have you ever been told that if we were all the same, the world would be boring and not unique at all? It would be like that if men and women were the same. Men have their spectrum of what they do, and women do too. Of course, some roles, and rules may change depending on the type of family. But, at the roots of it all, we are who God has built us to be in our gender.

How does this relate to us young adults trying to motivate ourselves to strive for marriage and family? I think it's important for us all to understand where we can magnify our talents. As well, to understand the differences between males and females when we are looking for a spouse. Look inward for a second. Think about what you are good at. I don't think there is a specific mold that women have to be in and a mold for a man to be in. In terms of what they are allowed to enjoy. There is a spectrum. For example, I like playing with dirt, I like action movies, and playing with nerf guns. These are usually what boys like to do. I have a guy friend who likes to bake, to shop, and used to play with barbies as a kid. These are things girls typically like. Liking different things don't make us different from our gender. All of our likes and dislikes are exactly what make us unique. It goes back to the idea that if we were all the same the world would be boring and mundane.

I want you to think of what makes you who you are. What attributes and passions did God give you to serve a much higher purpose. Everything about you is meant for something much more. There is a lot of value in who we are as male and female. We are different because that is what is best.