Men and woman are different, simple as that and as complicated as that. Venus and Mars make it complicated, the same universe makes it simple. God created all of us humans. He created us “in His image.” He also made us different in some significant ways. Women are more naturally nurturing and yes, gullible. How would we be able to raise our children with all the ooey-gooey love without being able to be a bit gullible? It is okay to be a woman of God, which includes a bit of gullibility. Yes, it was Eve who was gullible in the garden and listened to the devil and ate the apple. Yet remember that Adam was right there with her, going along, not stopping the impending disaster and certainly did not step up and protect Eve. Then it was Adam who also lied to God about the whole situation.
Both men and women have issues, we are humans, in the same universe.
Sometimes we end up with a very narrow vision of a Godly woman. Our image of the perfect woman of God usually does not include being gullible. There Eve was, as gullible as can be.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Gullibility
What about the experience of raising children? It is that gullibility that allows good moms to get in the groove of the kids perspective which lets them experience childhood more fully.
What about being a wife to a Godly man? The female gullibility allows us to fall for some of the nutty things men say and do that get us to fall in love with them. Without that gullibility, there would be a ton less “falling in love.”
Okay, I am finally okay with the gullibility that is God-given. It does not mean I am dumb, “blonde,” “ditzy,” or even clueless. There are some good reasons for the gullibility that I have come to accept.
What I won’t accept is that I am supposed to be blindly submissive because I am a female. There is nothing in God’s word that tells females to set their brains aside. We are not robots, doormats or punching bags.
God has a hierarchy of who is supposed to be submissive to whom. Wives/women are to be submissive to their husbands/men. But it does not stop there. Men are to be submissive to older men and God.
Hang on women, this is where it gets juicy for us.
God does not stop at the hierarchy. In scripture, He elaborates on many twists and turns that life always takes us on.
God already knows that men will be imperfect, the sinful humans that we all are. In scripture, God goes on to remind men that women are not meant to be doormats in their submission.
“25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” ~ Ephesians 5:25-28 NIV
Men will be held accountable for their actions and attitudes towards women.
In our modern society, submission is a nasty ugly word. I beg to differ. God has laid this out for us, in every way. Women, we get to use our brains to make determinations for our lives. We also get to have the understanding, through God’s Word, that He will take care of any and all improprieties that men impose on us. Still does not make women doormats or punching bags.
It gets tricky in marriage for the Christian woman to know how to be submissive yet be a truly loved child of God worthy of safety and sanity. James Dobson wrote a book about the Godly concepts of tough love in the context of marriage. I highly recommend it for anyone trying to sort this out. Dobson addresses the difficulties of abuse and keeping women safe while obeying God in marriage.
Keep moving forward, use our brains and our hearts for God to sort this out. Look for God’s abundance in our lives, see the blessings and keep growing through the tough stuff. Walk on the path God has laid out for you.
A Woman’s Gullibility For Good
There is a bit of gullibility that comes with being a woman. When I choose to embrace that I can enjoy the ride that it takes me on. I come out of my robot mode and be more of me, the woman that God created.
The older I get, the more comfortable I am with the fact that God created men and woman with unique characteristics and yet equal.
I will choose to use my gullibility for good, to lean into scary things that I would otherwise shy away from. I will NOT choose to set aside my God-given brain and my heart for Christ.
Taking Advantage of Gullible Women
As a female who has been taken advantage of because of my gullibility, I am trying to learn better ways. My eyes settled on this piece of scripture this morning that led me down this path.
The apostle Paul was writing to Timothy about how people will act during the end times. It caught my attention because I see it so clearly in today’s society…
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV
Then God gives us some examples of how people will play out this situation…
“6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:6-9 NIV
God is so good to create very clear pictures for us women. He gives us scripture through stories and commands. He gives us the twists and turns that our lives will certainly take and He draws it out for us.
Never, EVER, does God tell us not to use our brains or not to be who He created us to be. He has told us very clearly that our value is in Christ, not what others say or do to us. There are some caveats to submission but we are created equal to men.
When both the man and woman play by the same God-given rules, the submission is meant for the good of the woman. When both parties don’t play by the same rules that God Himself made, the rules remain the same but with appropriate twists.
Man will answer for taking advantage of God-given “gullibility” in a woman. Women will answer for declaring “gullibility” so they can husband/male bash.
Men are clearly wrong when they take advantage of a gullible woman. But women, we are also wrong when we set aside our brains (and God’s word) so that we can bash on men.
God SO clearly gives us direction on how WE should live our lives instead of getting caught up in the insanity of others.
“10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:10-27 NIV
Ditzy is Not God-given Gullible
I am familiar with ditzy. I have used it when my brain is full and my emotions are tapped out. I have fallen into the ditzy trap when I just cannot sort it all out fast enough to make a wise decision. In retrospect, I have shut down my brain and done the “ditz” so that I could get immediate relief from the overwhelm. We were given a brain, use it!!!
Getting Snuckered is Not God-given Gullible
Women getting snuckered by men provides an opportunity for growth, to practice over and over again how not to get taken advantage of, snuckered. I have been snuckered more times than I care to admit. Each time I learn a nuance to these kinds of people so that I can refine my skills in this area.
As we answer to God, we are given the opportunity to use our brains. To read scripture and call on the Holy Spirit to help interpret every situation so we understand God’s intent for our lives. To walk with Jesus on this journey of life and not go along with the current social norms.
May we all find our righteous place with gullibility.
Maribeth Baxter, MBNC (Certified Mind-Body Nourishment Coach)
Dig Deeper, Learn More, Grow Richer in Christ:
- Overview of Second Timothy by Charles Swindoll – in audio and written article – FREE
- Love Must Be Tough: New Hope for Marriages in Crisis by James Dobson – book
