Designed as Male and Female

Taken from The Relational Soul - Maleness and femaleness is the fundamental way in which we carry our relational design. Interestingly, the English word “sexuality” comes from the Latin word sexus which means, “being divided, cut off, separated from another.” We typically don’t think of sexuality in terms of separation, but that is precisely what it is. Our sexual desire, drive, and energy show we are separated and long to be connected (both physically and emotionally).When Adam was alone God said his condition was not good. So God brought the animals to Adam for the purpose of finding a partner. Since no animal could be his soul mate, God created a “suitable” companion who would be his “helper.” Needless to say, Adam was a happy man! To his delight he now had an answer to his incompleteness. He was no longer alone and separated. He could now communicate, connect, and commune with one who was like him. God pronounced this state of affairs as good.Out of love Adam and Eve were created as distinct individuals (male and female) who, like the Trinitarian God, enjoyed community. Though Adam could commune with his Creator, “it was not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). God knew Adam needed an experience of communion and union with another human. Eve was his exact counterpart. Their maleness and femaleness became mutually life-giving in many ways.Why do we feel so much energy in our sexuality? It is because we are created by and for intimacy. Our sexual energy is proof of our relational essence. We can hardly stand a “divided” condition because we are relational at our core. It is in healthy relationships (including but not limited to marriage) where we will feel most alive. It is in unhealthy relationships (or no relationship) that we feel most dead (i.e. separated).Taken from The Relational Soul by Richard Plass and James Cofield. Copyright (c) 2014 by Richard Plass and James Cofield. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL  60515-1426. www.ivpress.com