Analogies, Parables, and Teaching Stories- Part 4

I've always had a thing for analogies, parables, and the like. As teaching tools, they use every-day situations and ideas to explain complex principles, making those complex ideas a whole lot easier to understand. Often, they can explain ideas that would otherwise be nigh impossible to explain accurately.

Jesus Himself used parables all the time in His teaching. Sometimes this was to make the teaching of a certain principle easier. But often He didn't give an explanation. He simply allowed people to take from the "nice story" what they would- an act of mercy, given that we are each held accountable for following the doctrines we understand.

The first in this series was about ducks. The second one was about medicine.. and salvation. The third was about math class--

This time, I'd like to talk about engines.

In an engine there are all these parts that move and do things, and pretty much none of those parts are interchangeable-- you can't really put motor oil in the transmission and expect things to work right for very long.. and vice versa.

The same thing applies to society- men and women are different (I know, big surprise there, right?). God created us to be different- to think and act differently.

Even our perceptions and communication styles are different. Sure, equality in the workplace is a good thing, but we are still different from each other. There are things that men do better than women, and there are things women are better at than men. You can't expect to mix things up for equality's sake and expect society to function effectively for very long. 

Our Father created men to be physically stronger so they would have the strength to work and provide for their families. Men- husbands and fathers are also charged with providing for and protecting their families. This protection isn't just from the physical dangers that can break down doors and invade, but the more discreet and insidious dangers that can filter in through the seemingly harmless avenues of media and social influences.

My amazing baby brother
and his family

He also created women to be strong- in very different ways. Women- wives and mothers have an amazing capacity for emotional and physical endurance and giving. This endurance and giving is needed as women become mothers and teach their children both the basics and niceties of life... while maintaining a home- cleaning, cooking, laundry, mending, child care/education.

Sure, men can fill women's roles in the home.. and women are capable (thanks to our modern society and technology) of being the breadwinners, but there is still value in starting with the traditional template:

(if this isn't legible...)