Is Gender Divine?

My Best Friend just got married yesterday.  She was almost glowing, she was so happy.  She is just starting this road of marriage, it will we a hard road, but a fulfuilling one as well.  I started to think about my parents marriage.  This August is their 30th wedding anniversary.  My parents are the best example to me, of what a marriage should be like.

In my parenting class this semester, we were asked to interview a married and couple of what it takes to have a successful marriage.  As I was interviewing them, some amazing things stood out to me.  My mother brought up roles and responsibilities in marriage.  She said that they should be equal but that does not mean that they should be split fifty-fifty.  For example, each doing the same amount of dishes, chores, yard work etc.  Having equal responsibility does not mean doing the same amount of each of those things.  My mother mentioned that because my father goes to work all day and earns money, she should clean up around the house and take care of the children while my dad is away.  She said that this was an equal share of responsibility.

This may seem stereotypical, that men work and women stay home and cook or clean.  But men and women are different.  Genetically and spiritually.  In the Family: A Proclamation to the world, it states, "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."  Our gender roles, are by divine design.  We came to this earth with our gender, and it is our responsibility to fill those roles.  This does not mean that men are better then women or vice versa.  We should be equal partners.  We are all children of our Father in Heaven.  He loves us all, and wants us to return to Him.  As men and women we can help each other along the way and achieve our highest potential.