Letter to my daughter

A father writes a provocative letter to his infant daughter reflecting on gender and the church.

Dear Elizabeth Lacey,

You are just over 21 months old, and you are overflowing with life and vitality. You're just beginning to assert your independence — which is why your rain boots so often end up on the wrong feet, but heck if you don't get them on anyway. (It's also why you currently don't want to hold my hand when crossing the street, but we'll talk about that later.)

Your personality is starting to flourish, and can I just say... I love who you are becoming. From chasing the dog around the living room to enthusiastically greeting everyone who walks by — which, let's face it, is a trait you probably got from your mother.

You won't get to read this for several years, but a day will come when you and I will sit down, pull up this old blog (assuming they haven't replaced the Internet with something else by then), and read.

For there will come a time, I'm sorry to say, when you'll meet certain people who will try to steal your sense of boundless opportunity.

They will tell you that some roles in life aren't for you, simply because you're a woman. That your gender means you have to take a backseat. That you are forever consigned to be in the audience and not on the stage. Always a follower and never a leader.

They will tell you this is so because God — the same God we read about at bedtime — made it so. They will tell you that God made you inferior, subordinate, second-class.

Not that they'll use these words. (Well, they might use "subordinate.") Instead, they'll talk about "complementarity" and "submission." But what they really mean is, your path to God runs through a man.

No matter how much you have to share, no matter how much wisdom and natural leadership God gives you, they will politely insist that you can never serve in a position of authority over men. You can never be the one who points others to God because, well, that's a man's job. Or so they will say.

I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I want you to hear it from me before you hear it from them. Because there's something else you need to know:

They are wrong.

They're the ones, not God, trying to create a world where only men can lead. They're the ones trying to hoard power and influence for themselves.

Pay no attention to them.

Remember, you are a daughter of Eve, who was created from Adam's side, not his feet. True, Eve was Adam's "helper," but then again — all great leaders are those who serve others. Maybe that's why the Bible uses the exact same word to describe God. (And I'm pretty sure no one ever tried to tell God he could only go so far in life.)

Our faith wouldn't exist if it weren't for women like Ruth, Deborah, Huldah, Esther, Mary, Anna, Priscilla. It wouldn't exist if it weren't for women who followed Jesus to the end — who consistently showed more faith and courage than Jesus' male disciples. It wouldn't exist if it weren't for women who led house churches and became apostles.

Our faith wouldn't exist if it weren't for women who witnessed the resurrection first — and told the men (who were busy hiding in fear) what had happened. Women were apostles to the apostles.

There is nothing in this world that is off-limits to you because you're a woman.

So when certain men try to tell you there are certain things you can't do because of your gender, don't listen to them. They may mean well, but they've forgotten that God is in the business of overturning manmade hierarchies and power structures. They've forgotten that our God is one who gives away power — and he's invited us to follow his lead.

I'm not going to tell you that you can do anything you want simply because you want to do it. There's more to it than that. After all, lots of little girls dream of becoming the first female president.

You see, each of us has different gifts. Each of us is made for different opportunities. Time will tell what your unique gifts and opportunities are.

But know this: your gender is not what determines them. There is nothing in this world that is off-limits to you because you're a woman. "Male and female" simply doesn't count when it comes to membership, service, and leadership in the kingdom of God.

Whatever may come, I will always cheer you on as you embrace your unique gifts.

Love,

Dad (otherwise known as "Dada" and, on occasion,"not Mama")