#1. Women Need a Man that loves God but does not confuse himself with God.

In general, men are the strength that God did not bless women with naturally. When they are in their element they appear all powerful and in control, as if they could conquer the world and fight every battle with success. Yet, man is fallible and can sometimes do more harm than good. God is only good and will never fail. Don't get it twisted. There are problems in life that a man cannot fix and unfortunately, most of them occur in human relationships with women!

For instance, when a woman is going through the storms of life, inwardly she may know that God is controlling the forces of nature and she will have to submit to whatever happens but she still may worry. At this point in life her basic need is shelter and a safety. Now her man may believe that she needs to become superwoman and fly through the storm doing all the things that she usually does while wearing an "S" on her chest. He does not seem to notice, or he does not care to notice, that she is not only tattered on the outside but she is bruised on the inside. Her countenance is not as bright as before because of the worries that she is trying to overcome. She struggles to put on a happy face and be strong. So his unsympathetic acknowledgement of the obvious is not what this situation requires; any mirror might tell her those things. What she possibly needs is a hug, a good cry, someone to listen, prayer and an "I love you"; not a critique of what is wrong with her.

Men, if you cannot change her circumstances, then just offer your love and support. Resist the urge to judge. Allow God to do the chastising and rebuking; allow Him to fill her open spaces in those lowly places within in her soul, so that He might perfect her in time. Your brand of help or tough love may work with the boys but you could easily damage the work that has begun in her. So do not try to manage her life or change her, even if you have the best of intentions. Simply, be there (safety and security) for her, be that strong arm to lean on, and trust God to use you wherever needed. Here is a good one, ask her to tell you what she needs.

Know that whatever first attracted the two of you to one another is still there, but this season (short or long) she is journeying through is necessary and it is not for you to fix. You are not God and should not have that burden. This too will pass, and if you are fortunate to survive it together, your relationship will be all the better for it.