playing Pollyanna

The man at the register rang up my goodies: foam balls, wire, floral tape, cardstock. He chatted to himself as if he were new to his post at Hobby Lobby. I smiled patiently, once more glad to never again (please, Lord, let it be so) work retail.

As he handed me my bag I said, “Thank you, sir.” 

Immediately his face twisted into a grimace.
“I prefer ma’am,” he said.

“Ma’am,” I whispered.

I grabbed my supplies, purse, and the hand of my little girl and left, stunned. Here was a guy with a beard, baritone voice, and no shape of a woman. Was I to feel ashamed for calling a man a “sir”? Honestly, I didn’t even know what to think, so delayed was my reaction.

I don’t think I am a fool. I think I am reasonable and kind–the first to acquiesce in any uncomfortable small talk. I avoid politics and lingering eye contact; I try not to act too witty or domineering. I don’t stand in the grocery line, proselytizing, when everyone just wants to get on with their life. It’s a matter of keeping the peace and minding my own business–two things I value in life. But I’m beginning to realize I cannot keep silent, not when the man at Hobby Lobby is claiming to be a woman in front of my children. The fact of the matter is this is the world we now live in, where a trip to the craft store has set us on edge, at risk of offending around every corner. The whole world is telling me I must tread lightly.

However, I am realizing more and more the need to begin looking into this situation, because no longer is it about the neighbor I risk offending. It isn’t about being kind, turning the other cheek, smiling politely to keep the peace. Believe it or not, playing Pollyanna is not our calling as Christians. Our number one job is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. If I get this wrong, game over.

Before I barge into a sticky pit, I’d like to mention that I am a woman, and well acquainted with the woman experience. I have dated men, married a man, carried babies in my womb, birthed children, nursed them at my breast, nurtured them. This is no small feat, no minor duty. This has been pain, anguish, glory and pride. When I stand for womanhood, I am in the company of mothers who have risked death to deliver the whole human race. This statement should not spawn confusion, yet our culture is glorifying the Bruce Jenners of the world who think womanhood is theirs to claim. Ought it not offend me, a woman who, from conception, has been given the honor of being a woman? Why should a pretender be applauded for pretending? For mocking the sacred and degrading personhood?

It is said that in the beginning God created male and female. In his image, God created them. Do we think God did this without purpose or that it was all a mere suggestion? 

There is a clear difference between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God, but from what I can tell, many Christians are swimming in brackish waters. They have forgotten that ours is a battle against the wisdom of the world, not an integration of it. It’s a crucial error.

If we fail to understand why blatant disregard for gender, for God’s creation–for God!–is wrong, we will never be able to guide our children in the path of truth. Their futures will unravel, hopeless and futile, swayed by every false notion. They will find themselves on a dark path: depression, worthlessness, mental instability. Chaos, confusion. Look around, friends. It is already happening. Unless we are all drinking the same GMO koolaid and rapidly evolving into the next future step of homo sapien-ism (which, from what I’ve read, takes millions of years, and will be slowed exponentially by gender confusion) there is only one explanation for what we can call this culture, and it is depraved.

Paul wrote,

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…” Romans 1:21-22

Francis Shaeffer said,

When the Scripture speaks of man being foolish in this way, it does not mean he is only foolish religiously. Rather, it means that he has accepted a position that is intellectually foolish not only with regard to what the Bible says, but also to what exists concerning the universe and its form and what it means to be human. In turning away from God and the truth which he has given, man has thus become foolishly foolish in regard to what man is and what the universe is.

You see, we have been presented with clear, absolute truth and have turned on our heel to march off in another direction. We aren’t just denying what is true for us individually, but that which is true for every other person. When I address my Hobby Lobby cashier as a woman when he is actually a man, I deny every good thing in him that God created him to be as a man. I diminish his rights as a man, friend, brother, and father. Playing Pollyanna damages people.

What of today? I don’t think there are many Christians today willing to stand up and speak truthfully in the world. We want our God to represent love, and, speaking for myself, we are happy to share that. The best thing I’ve ever been able to do is share hope with someone who feels hopeless. But we’ve become really adept at pulling off a vague sort of watered down love. It looks like minding our own business and keeping the peace–but it sets free no man. It’s a cop out, and it’s related to our misunderstanding of who God is.

 We are less than enthusiastic about sharing the character of God that expresses this perfect love–holiness. But here’s the truth–God can’t be Love if he isn’t Holy.
Christians, we have the answers the whole world is looking for! The perfect love we can offer, the hope we proclaim, is that a man can be changed–not into a woman, but into the righteousness of God. It became realized when a perfect, holy man–God in the flesh–he who knew no sin–Jesus! became sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor.5:21).

Shaeffer wrote,

Truth demands confrontation. It must be loving confrontation, but there must be confrontation nonetheless.

Sadly, we must say that this has seldom happened. Most of the evangelical world has not been active in this battle, or even been able to see that we are in a battle. And when it comes to the issues of the day the evangelical world most often has said nothing; or worse has said nothing different from what the world would say…The evangelical church has accommodated to the world spirit of this age…We must say with tears that it is the evangelical accommodation to the world spirit around us, to the wisdom of this age, which removes the evangelical church from standing against the further breakdown of our culture.
The Great Evangelical Disaster (1984)

We have got to bring back humble, loving confrontation that honors God and affirms humanity. We’ve got to stop resorting to snide remarks on things that prickle us or rub us the wrong way. Too often we, as Bob Goff writes in Love Does, “seem to have more opinions about what or who we are against than who we are for”.

We are in a battle. The wisdom of the world doesn’t stand a chance.

Friend, who are you for?