But did you ever stop to think about the second part of the verse? "Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." (Gen 3:16b). I understood this one when I was single- part of being a single women was a strong desire for a husband, an overwhelming need to be married. I thought that would go away with a snap of the fingers with a wedding band. Nope.
Interestingly, the "desire for your husband" doesn't cease, but transforms. "Your husband" now has a name and you still want him, and more so than you did when you didn't have him. Another interesting aspect is that the verse is completely open-ended. It doesn't say or give any hint of what you desire him for. Sex, yes. Affection, yes. Acceptance, yes. Strength, yes. Friendship, yes. The list is endless and probably different for every woman, and can change from hour to hour. One moment, I want him as friend, the next as lover.
Mostly, I just want him to be there, to be present, which right now is hard for us to do. I want him to be available and when he is there, I want his attention. I want him to come through for me and I need to know he still loves me. This is a lot of pressure to put on him because he's human; he falls short from time to time. This is not to say that I don't ever let him down, because I know I do. But it's just another reminder that God is the only one that will never let us down.
Hence, the second part of the curse: We expect or desire another human to never come up short when by God's design, he will. Therefore, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment time after time. I think as women we expect our men to be the knight in shining armor and that's a standard they just can't live up to. That doesn't get him off the hook, nor does it mean I don't love him with all my heart. It's just another transition in this wonderful world of holy matrimony.
Besides, honestly, how could you resist this:
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