MARY ANN OR GINGER?

That question has been asked of men since the advent of Gilligan's Island. I was watching that show the other evening and to my amazement, I did not remember that they actually had an episode that dealt with just that question. However, Mrs. Howell was also in that line-up. I think it is rather obvious why she did not make it to the "around the cooler" talk, but the original Mary Ann or Ginger question has been laughed at, joked about and seriously contemplated by most males since. And to put your mind at ease, this is not the first blog to ponder this age old question but perhaps it might be from my perspective.

Men can be shallow and God knows this, however, in I Peter 3:1-6, God placed the responsibility on the woman to handle this situation and to answer that age old question of Mary Ann or Ginger. It all depends upon whom the woman is trying to impress. You can impress a man but it will only last temporarily. Darn that aging process, you just cannot stop it. You can impress God and that can last eternity. Impress God? Absolutely. Verse 4 "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."(emphasis mine) Do you seek to impress God or men?

The antithesis of the I Peter 3 woman is the Proverbs 7:6-23 woman. She is painted, loud, stubborn, obnoxious, and unfaithful. Men, why is this woman so appealing? The "joys" of this woman are but a trap. Verses 22-23 describe, in not-so-flattering terms, such men who pursue and are taken in by this woman. As an ox to the slaughter, as a fool to the stocks, as a bird rushes to the snare are the terms used to describe a man who is impressed by such a woman. YOUR LIFE IS AT STAKE! A dart for you heart she is wielding.

Our society, in both public and private life, is littered with attempts to delude both men and women on this subject. Both men and women share responsibility in this matter. Why would a woman want a man who is so "void of understanding"? Why would a man want a woman who is only "adorned" on the outside? As far as true Christianity is concerned, to quote James 3:10b, "[m]y brethren, these things ought not so to be".


Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Have a grace filled day...

Luke