“But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”” Genesis 3:9-13
The first breakdown in male-female communication happens immediately after sin enters the world.
When confronted by God, Adam, in one sentence, shifts blame to Eve — and subtly to God Himself. “The woman you put here with me…”.
Before the fall, Adam had spoken poetry over Eve:
“The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”” Genesis 2:23
After the fall, he speaks accusation. Sin turned admiration into deflection.
Blame is one of the fastest ways to erode respect between men and women. Instead of ownership, we panic and protect ourselves. Blame immediately divides us. Instead of “we,” it becomes “she” or “he.”
Dishonoring speech often sounds like:
- “You always…”
- “You never…”
- “This is your fault…”
The fall fractured communication, but Christ restores it. Redemption invites confession instead of deflection, humility instead of accusation.
“The Father willed through Christ to reconcile the universe once more unto Himself, and so to restore all things whatsoever and wheresoever they be.” Julian of Norwich
Respect and honor grows between us when responsibility replaces blame.
Something to ponder today: When conflict arises between men and women in my life, do I instinctively protect myself or protect the relationship?
