So, have you seen those Google search tools yet?  You type in the beginning words of what you are searching for, and Google will automatically fill in the remaining words based on the most popular searches other people have made.  That means that if you type in the words “how to tie,” the great search engine will spark forth the continuation of your phrase with “…a tie.”  This because when the majority of people have typed “how to tie,” in the past, Google recalls that what they were really looking for was “how to tie a tie.”

Recently, a good friend of mine had typed in the words, “how to encourage your husband.”  Google automatically filled in the remainder of her response with “…to grow spiritually.”  Hats off to you wives!  This is certifiable proof that there are large numbers of woman out there thinking about how to encourage their husbands to grow spiritually.  Gentlemen, how lucky we are to have our wives so heartily invested in us!  They are not thinking of themselves.  They are actually taking time online to learn about how they can be the encouragement we need for our own spiritually betterment.

Of course, over time the search clues may change and you may find different responses, but every time I type in “how to encourage your wife,” guess what comes up?

Men, I am ashamed of us.  I’m angry.  I am going to dare to go out on a limb here and say this search is not popular because men are deeply concerned about their wives’ quality of life and fullness of health.  This is the result of men who are so obsessed with physical appearances that they actually waste time online researching how to convince women to lose weight.  Whether this is vanity or lust, I know not.  But what is clear is that as a population, our wives are focusing on our eternal spiritual welfare.  We are focusing on passing physical appearance.  And you know what? It is not any better when it comes to how we think about our daughters.

 Men, I am calling you out!  What is wrong with our mental processes that our thoughts are so despicably shallow?  What false images of womanhood are we allowing to be held up as the ideal? How are we raising our sons?  How are we calling out our brothers?  Now I know not all men think in these patterns.  I know some men who share concern that their wives are under-eating or working out too much for safety.  But clearly, gentlemen, as a whole, we need to take a play from our wives’ playbook and get back to spiritual welfare.  Stopping wasting life on meaningless and false ideals of feminine value! 

 Remember the value that God placed on woman…

The LORD God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him.

                -Genesis 2:18

 Remember the value that Adam placed on woman…

“This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman…”

                -Genesis 2:23

 Remember the value that Paul place on woman…

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her…

                -Ephesians 5:25

Maybe next time I get on Google, the auto-fill feature will be ready to show me something actually worth reading!

Joshua Danis

Joshua Danis is the Northern Coordinator for the Family and Respect Life Office. He and his wife also are working together to build their lives as a domestic church.