Kassiquan

Who Do You Say You Are?

Two weeks ago all employees at CAMBA (my place of employment) had to complete a mandatory training on Confronting Sexual Harassment.  This training, sponsored by New York City Commission on Human Rights was quite an eye-opener; I learned quite a bit that was helpful to know but at the same time, left me to wonder; where are we as a people in this modern world of “political correctness” heading?  I immediately thought about “broad is the way and many there be, but narrow is the way and few there be” (Paraphrase of Matthew 7:13-14).  The training on Confronting Sexual Harassment was certainly true of the word, “CONFRONTING.”  I was confronted with, “Who are you and how do you express yourself as a person of gender;” who do you say you are?

Did you know that “gender” no longer means “are you male or female?”  Did you know that “gender” has two parts to its definition; the sex to which you are “naturally” born and the sex to which you identify, express yourself?  Oh, and to add to this definition, the sex to which you are born may not be the sex to which you wish to identify or to which you might be attracted.  Um, did you get this?  I sure did.  All through the training I kept replaying the narrative in the Bible; the book of Genesis.  Who do you say you are?

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

According to the training, I would be considered, “Cisgender;” which means that my personal identity corresponds with my identity at birth; I was born a male and, therefore, I identify myself as a male.  Why not?  Who I was to be in life was ordained by God for he created me while still in the womb (Psalm 119:13-16).  Others consider themselves, “Transgender,” which means that their personal identity does not correspond with their identity at birth.  Physically, a man can still be male but live as a woman, female and vice versa; a woman can still be female but live as a man.  In most cases, the belief of trans-gendered is that they were born in the wrong body; really?  Take this “trans-gendered” belief (thinking) a step further. Those who live as trans-gendered may decide to change their identity at birth by altering their physical appearance to correspond with their personal identity.  These persons are now identified as “transsexuals.”  Again I was confronted, are we not created in God’s image?  Does God make mistakes?  What if you do not believe in God, does nature make mistakes?  Many people are still asking themselves, “Who am I?”  People seek an identity, people want to be comfortable with whom they are and, people want to be accepted for who they are.  Who do you say you are?

Yes, I took the training on Confronting Sexual Harassment; it was mandatory.  Yes, I learned quite a lot that opened my eyes but, I also learned the thinking, beliefs and values of the modern world in which I live.  I am not required to live by the same thinking, beliefs and values of this modern world but, I am aware and sensitive to those who do.  Isaiah the prophet reminds us of what God says;

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your way and my thoughts than your thoughts” (55:8).

Whether you identify as Cisgender (cis is a Latin pre-fix for “on this side”), Trans-gendered or Transsexual, you are still a person created by God who has basic human needs, shelter, food, and clothing – survival.  However, I do not want to be “sexually harassed” because I hold to different beliefs, values and an identity that was God ordained before I was born.  I know who I am, in Christ.

Sunday night at Armstrong Valley Baptist Church in Halifax the study was in Genesis 6; the narrative on Noah and the Flood.  God saw that the earth was corrupt and full of violence and instructed Noah to build an ark because a flood was coming.  The Pastor made this comment, “There were 100 years for the people to change their ways, their behavior and perhaps their thinking.”  Noah was 500 years old when he was instructed to build the ark and when he and his family entered the ark, Noah was 600 years old.  The Gospel of Luke records that the people were eating, drinking and marrying up until the day Noah entered the ark and the flood came (17:27).  The message I took away from this study is this.  Noah was on the narrow way; the people on the broad way.  This is how Jesus said it, “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).  I am a Cis-Christian, I am “on this side” with Christ.  See, I sure did learn something from the training that I can use.  Who do you say you are?