Something interesting caught my eye in the papers today. It was an article about Cassandra Thng, a transgender woman, which the Sunday Times says it means "she identifies with a gender different from the one she was born as". In other words, Cassandra Thng is biologically male, but identifies as female.
Cassandra Thng held a sign which said "I am trans. Will you take a photo with me?" at the shopping belt from Bugis to Orchard, seeking to raise awareness on the Transgender Day of Visibility from 5.30pm to 10pm on 31 March 2017.
(From Cassandra Thng's Facebook page)
The Sunday Times reports in "Hostile stares and friendly words on the streets" (16 April 2017):
But while Ms Thng did receive some hostile stares, she also found support on the streets.
"The most interesting thing that night... was three Christian girls asking to say a prayer for me - and they prayed that I may have the strength to be myself, and have the labels not put on me by God to be cast off.
"I really experienced the kind of extremes that faith can bring people to that night," she said.
"I could not have asked for things to go better."
The account of the three Christian girls is indeed beautiful and fitting especially in light of this weekend with Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday as we remember the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Assuming the account is correct, I'd affirm their prayer with a firm "amen".
Yet, I believe that Cassandra may not have understood the thrust of the prayer made by the three Christian girls.
Indeed, in God's eyes, we are created "male and female" in His image (Genesis 1:27). Likewise, Jesus taught that "at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female'" (Matthew 19:4).
From God's perspective, every single human being has inherent worth and dignity as His image-bearer. Our biological sex is not an accident of nature nor a social construct, but is of divine design. Male and female are made complementary, equal but different. Who we truly are is truly who we are in Him.
No matter what labels that society may place on us or what labels we may place on ourselves, what truly matters is how God sees us.
Every human being is an integrated unity of heart, soul, mind and body (cf. Mark 12:30). Our bodies are not our enemies or our prisons, and we are not trapped in the wrong body.
I once prayed for a number of transgendered persons at the red light district in Singapore. My prayers were very similar to what the three Christian girls prayed for Cassandra Thng. In my prayers for them, I prayed that God would reveal Himself to them and show them who they truly are in Him, and that they would have the courage to be who He wants them to be.
There is no denying that people who identify as transgender feel strongly that their bodies are not part of who they are.
But as Jesus died to reconcile to God all things by making peace through His blood shed on the cross (Colossians 1:20), my prayer is that Christ's ministry of reconciliation can be brought to everyone, to reconcile everyone to God and give us strength to be who He truly wants us to be - His sons and daughters. And may every label that does not come from God be cast off.
