Are you a Rib?

Genesis 2:7"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."Genesis 2:21-22"But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man."While reading this, over the past week something stuck out to me.  God could have used any part of the body to create Eve.  He didn't even really need to use a part of Adam's body, He could have just had her appear.  But the fact that He used a rib is pretty powerful.What is the purpose of the ribs in the human anatomy?  They are there to protect vital organs including the lungs and the heart. So...God used the piece of Adam that was created to protect his own heart and lungs.  Thus one of God's main purposes of man, was not just to create woman from him, but to protect the woman once she was created.Now what does that mean?  Protect her from what?  Well, we are meant to protect them in the physical (LUNGS) and in the spiritual (HEART).  Thats what a rib does! It protects the vital organs from destruction or influence from outside sources.  We are charged to do the same as men for the women in our lives.  Ultimately there is a bigger purpose other than attraction, romance and compatibility.Proverbs 4:23"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."Is it each person's responsibility to guard their own heart?  Yes, to an extent.  But God created man to assist in this process, to lead the relationship and act as a leader.Don't think of it as a dictatorship, its not that at all, far from it.  Think of it as a team with a leader/captain, where you work together to come up with the best solution.  I compare it to a football team.  There is a captain on the field who is charged with making sure everyone is in the right place and he helps encourage and lead the team.  But he also needs the help of his teammates to accomplish the goal.A leader is nothing without the people he is leading.  The same goes for relationships and men and women.Maybe you already have a significant other in your life with whom you can put this into practice.  Maybe you are single, in which you need to continue to make yourself stronger so you have the ability to protect when your opportunity to do so comes.  Finally, maybe you are a female and you think this doesn't apply to you...WRONG!  You job is just as important...and maybe harder.  You have to understand this, and ALLOW the man to protect you.  Remember, it is in our nature, and how we were wired, we want to protect you.