When Maggie Sandusky was growing up she wanted to be a boy. She’s relieved that her parents didn’t go the PC route and allow her to choose her gender. “I’m glad my mom made me wear a shirt, taught me to dress like a lady, and didn’t fight to let me be a Boy Scout. I’m also glad my dad took time to show me outdoor skills and that my mom gave in to my begging to join the pole vault team…”
Baptist Press has Maggie’s story:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ~ Genesis 1:27
There is a growing trend today that we see repeated in news headlines: Parents choosing to raise their child genderless or as the opposite gender due to the child’s preference. Simply put, if a little girl says she wishes she were a boy or a little boy prefers to play with dolls, the parents seek to grant their wish.
If I had been raised in a different time, by different parents, I fear I could have been one of them.
I had two older brothers who, from my 4-10-year-old tomboy perspective, got to do a lot of pretty great things that I didn’t. They didn’t have to wear a shirt when they were hot, they didn’t have to wear complicated dress clothes and they were in Boy Scouts. Everything about Boy Scouts seemed awesome to me — camping, learning about animals, racing little wooden cars. I had no desire to be a Girl Scout. Large groups of girls intimidated me, and much of what Girl Scouts seemed to do was sell cookies, have sleepovers and wear mud brown. I liked to run with the boys. I remember on multiple occasions as a little girl questioning why God had to make me a girl.
Now in our culture, one option for my dilemma would be for my parents to grant my desire and either raise me as a boy or genderless so I would have time to figure out “who I am” without the pressure of nurturing.
Amid this trend, we need to first and foremost look to Scripture when engaging culture, when advising friends how to handle this or when dealing with our own children’s views about their gender.
First, we must remember that God created gender (Genesis 1:27) and He created our gender to be a blessing (1 Corinthians 1:11-12). Ephesians 5:22-33 shows how God uses gender to teach us about Himself and to paint a picture of His love for the world. While there may be some aspects of being a woman that our carnal nature isn’t thrilled about, such as submission, we should also acknowledge that manhood brings its own set of challenges (Ephesians 5:25, 1 Peter 3:7). The grass isn’t greener on either side. Continue reading
Related:
Transgender Plea Or Demand? By Bob Stith
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