My Mom can regularly be heard saying, “it’s a new world!”
It causes me to smile when she uses such an expression! It communicates awe and respect for all the changes that she is witnessing. This comes from a woman, who as a 10-year-old, boarded The Maasdam and immigrated to the United States. It is not the first time she has acclimated to a new world.
The other night we had a dinner table of 12 people ranging in age from 11 to 81. We began to discuss pronouns and gender identity. It was the most fascinating blend of input and honest expression from everyone. We talked about our perceptions, understanding, need for awareness and education, questions we wondered about, and overall desire to move into spaces that felt new and sometimes unknown to us.
As an Elder at my Church, we are engaging in intentional conversation about being an inclusive church. This is one of the articles shared for education. It comes from the website: https://genderspectrum.org/.
I invite you to take some time to reflect on it as well. These words felt like a genuine invitation. I hope you might consider the invitation as well!
There is a generational divide in how we think about gender. To bridge this gap, those of us who were raised with a more limited view of gender can take this as an opportunity to explore gender with new eyes, read and ask questions to better understand gender’s complexity. As with any learning experience, you’ll learn more about the world around you and about yourself in the process.
More can be found by following the link below to Understanding Gender!
https://genderspectrum.org/articles/understanding-gender
May we live in unity, honoring the diversity that exists within us and around us!
Blessed be His name!