Midweek: No Longer at War

I just heard someone say that transgenderism is the act of "waging war on your body," and I felt that. I felt that because in my teens and into my twenties, it was safer for me to "be male." I didn't want to be male, necessarily, but it was safer for me to put on an outward appearance of (what I thought were) predominantly male characteristics. I cussed --A LOT --and the more vulgar, the better. I smoked, drank, yelled, fought, and pushed people around as much as I could. I took a job in a male dominated industry. I wore jeans and concert t's; I cut my hair and lifted weights. I hung out with guys my age and learned as much as I could about cars and sports. I was tough. Now, I'd always loved climbing trees and playing in the mud; and when I was choosing to wear male clothing and engage in male activities, I was happy to rock a great pair of heels and match all of my accessories just to go shopping. There was never anyone encouraging me to take the leap, just transition, live in the way that makes you happy. Even if they had been there, I was happy being both! Was I trans? Was I non-binary? Was I --pick a label? No, I was a woman who felt threatened, a woman who had grown up with some untrustworthy people in her life, had no real clue how to choose trustworthy people (Thank God, He gave me some!), and continued, for lack of wisdom, to add untrustworthy people to her life. Additionally, my body type, how I felt about myself, the enjoyment I got out of woodworking with my uncle or hanging out in the bays of an auto repair shop --all of these things made me very uncomfortable in "Girl World." I wasn't safe being vulnerable with men or being equal with women. My solution was to be equal to men.

So many young women today feel the same. They're uncomfortable with the changes in their bodies beginning with puberty. They may not have June Cleaver standing behind them as they gaze into a mirror. You are beautiful! You are going through a difficult process that will make you into a woman. But you are beautiful now! Just hang in there. Since the "sexual revolution," moms themselves have been struggling with the expectation of bringing home the bacon and frying it up in the pan. Assuring our daughters of something of which we ourselves are not sure...well, here we are. Social media and its demonic worldviews are poised to pick up the slack, however. You're uncomfortable because you were made wrong. You are a male trapped in a female body. Medical technology is your friend, my friend! You can transition, and all of this will be fixed! No, no it won't. If these young women don't come to grips with their discomfort, they will go on believing a lie. Changing physical attributes are no more helpful to transforming one's life than they were in the '70s. Do you recall those body building ads of old, the ones from the back pages of magazines? A "90-pound weakling" would cower on the beach as bullies kicked sand in his face. In the following frame, a he-man hero would show up, recommending whatever product the ad was hawking. The advertiser's formula, classes --even wrist cuffs! --would transform a simp into a successful, muscle-bound ladies' man in no time. "Gender reassignment surgery" is nothing more than a disgusting euphemism for profiteering today. Confused, fearful, vulnerable, "at war" people are being mutilated and exploited for financial gain. Praise God I wasn't born thirty years later! I might have purchased the snake oil myself. 

When we choose to believe God is who He says He is, everything else flows from that. When we choose to believe He is truth, we will trust Him at His Word. When we choose to believe He is the perfect Designer and Creator, we will trust the way He created us and the cycles of development in our bodies. When we choose to believe He loves us, we will know that no matter how awkward or misplaced we feel, His love for us demands He remain with us in the worst of circumstances. When we choose to wait on the Lord, we will no longer be at war with our bodies, the place where His image resides, but we will see the beauty of His work as it nears completion.