Girls Are Good
By: Jon Rendall
When my mom was pregnant with her first child my Great Grandfather said he had a gift for her when the baby was born. If she had a boy, he would give her $10. If she had a girl, he would give her $5. On the way out the door my Great Grandmother pulled my mom aside and let her know, if the baby was a girl, she would give her the other $5. After my mom gave birth to my older sister, both Grandparents kept their promises, exactly as they said they would.
On the surface, this story seems silly and mostly innocuous, but what lies underneath is a cultural value system that has harmed our churches and our communities. But in this aspect neither Canada nor The West is unique. Many cultures have valued men more than women. China, under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), comes to mind. The CCP’s one-child policy, imposed on a male-centric culture, has so far resulted in an estimated 30 million “missing” girls. But they're not really missing. They were murdered in the name of the communist state and because they were female. It’s easy to look across the Pacific and judge other cultures, but have we not also devalued women and denigrated their unique place in the created order?
At Last
As a man with a good deal of life experience, I’m comfortable asserting that men and women are different. But the question is, what does that mean? In the Genesis account, some might view the creation of Eve as an afterthought. But this could not be further from the truth. In actuality, Eve serves as the final jewel in the crown of creation. At the sight of her Adam exclaims, “At Last!” In my opinion this was a somewhat measured reaction for a man who took a nap and woke up to find he was now sharing his garden with a beautiful naked bride.
“At last,” he said, as if to acknowledge creation had been waiting for this glorious consummation of God’s incredible design. Finally, she is here. Finally, creation is complete. This was always the plan, Adam & Eve together, being fruitful, forming and filling creation together. They were necessarily not the same, and that’s the beauty of the story. They were different, and because they were different each was a complement to the other (Gen. 2:18 HCSB). “Equal in their dignity, but different in their design and calling.” And it was good. Moreover, God’s creation of human beings as male and female is still good. Girls are good.
Mixed Messages
I fear that in our culture we’ve forgotten that girls, as girls, are good. Even those who claim they speak for women’s rights or identify as feminists are often too interested in the erasure of what is uniquely female. Women are told to adopt the characteristics and likeness of sinful, ungodly men if they want to succeed in the workplace. Pornography and advertising reduce the women to a body that functions as a commodity to be consumed, usually for the enjoyment of men. Motherhood and domestic labour are portrayed as meaningless drudgery, to be escaped whenever possible. Women are too often seen as disposable, their agency and worth denied.
Our Calling
As Christian communities and individuals, we must value women (and men) based on the Bible’s revelation of how God values them. Every woman is a human being created in the image of God and therefore has inherent, eternal value. She is not half a man or an incomplete human being that did not fully develop into a man. She is part of God’s good creation and should be celebrated for who she is. As members of the body of Christ and the Kingdom of God, women are equal parts inheritors with men of Christ’s good promises. Therefore, as fellow citizens of heaven, they should be recognized for their unique ability to reflect the image of God in ways that men never could. They are qualified by their gender to play uniquely necessary roles in God’s kingdom.
Last month I celebrated my daughter’s first birthday. She is beautiful, full of joy, highly intelligent, and ambitious. She is also different from her two brothers. I’m reminded of that whenever I change her diaper. But beyond that, I know that she is a unique individual created in the image of God, and I’m excited to watch her grow and discover what God has for her.
I am immensely thankful to God for both my sons and my daughter. Each one is different and will be different in their giftings and callings, but they are equal in value as human beings created in the image of God. When my daughter was born we indulged in uninhibited celebration. Why? Because her birth was just as glorious as the birth of either of my two sons. To me she’s not worth half their value, she’s worth everything, all by herself. We need to celebrate women and girls in our community alongside the boys and men. Each is a unique creation of God, called to different things, but always designed to be an integral part of His kingdom and creation. And it is good.
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