Dear Child,
Last night at bedtime you wanted to remind me I forgot to pray with you. You also wanted to be silly so instead of reminding me you said,
"Wait mama. We forgot. We forgot, what's his name?"
I replied, "Who's name?"
You said, "You know, him. The boy. G....".
I caught on. "You mean God?"
"Yes, mama."
"God is not a boy," I say.
You look shocked. "God is a girl?"
"No, God is much bigger than that. God is a boy AND a girl."
"We always say he," your older sister chimes in from the hall where she sometimes waits until it is her turn with mama at bedtime.
"Yes, I wish we didn't do that," I say.
You look at me with your 6 year old wonder and with the joy of possibility you say, "I want God to be a girl."
And right there it hits me. This being, this divine love that I want my children to know has been taught to them as male. Yet again they are subtly hearing, men are better. Stronger. In charge.
Dear child and to all the little girls, your being is just as holy as a boy. You are God's image and therefore God cannot be only "He". I'm sorry we taught you this way. I see I'm not yet changing this for you.
So I hope you will hear me when I say- Beloved- use She anytime you want when you refer to God.
Love,
Me
Last night at bedtime you wanted to remind me I forgot to pray with you. You also wanted to be silly so instead of reminding me you said,
"Wait mama. We forgot. We forgot, what's his name?"
I replied, "Who's name?"
You said, "You know, him. The boy. G....".
I caught on. "You mean God?"
"Yes, mama."
"God is not a boy," I say.
You look shocked. "God is a girl?"
"No, God is much bigger than that. God is a boy AND a girl."
"We always say he," your older sister chimes in from the hall where she sometimes waits until it is her turn with mama at bedtime.
"Yes, I wish we didn't do that," I say.
You look at me with your 6 year old wonder and with the joy of possibility you say, "I want God to be a girl."
And right there it hits me. This being, this divine love that I want my children to know has been taught to them as male. Yet again they are subtly hearing, men are better. Stronger. In charge.
Dear child and to all the little girls, your being is just as holy as a boy. You are God's image and therefore God cannot be only "He". I'm sorry we taught you this way. I see I'm not yet changing this for you.
So I hope you will hear me when I say- Beloved- use She anytime you want when you refer to God.
Love,
Me
