Identify yourself.

Hope is the reason for all change. –church sign


Every now and then, someone enters our lives unexpectedly. Maybe we meet them at our workplace; maybe it’s a random grocery store encounter. It may even be a brief, long-distance encounter. Whatever the circumstance, the result is the same: something about the encounter has changed us, led us, perhaps, to a new way of thinking or living.

I had such an experience this week when our church bravely hosted Christine Howey in her one-woman play, Exact Change.

Through the course of her play, Ms. Howey invites the audience to journey alongside her, as the child born Richard Howey yearns for, realizes and ultimately actualizes his true gender identity and becomes, on the outside, the person he knew existed all along on the inside. Her story is at once humorous, poignant, angst-ridden—and victorious. Through her story, transgender now has a name, a face and a new identity. It takes an incredible amount of courage to reveal one’s true self before a full house of strangers.

We are all on a journey. We are each with a core identity, as a Child of God, that has nothing to do with externals. Sometimes it takes an extreme example to remind us: no matter what is happening in my life, my job, my marriage—I, too, am a child of the Most High, perfect and beloved, and there is nothing anyone else can do or say that can change that fact.

(Want to know more about Christine Howey’s journey? Check out her daughter Noelle’s book, Dress Codes.)

Monday Begin the week with a big prayer for unity of understanding and healing among the nations of the world. Give thanks for diversity of thought. Ezekiel 36:23

Tuesday Our own nation stands divided in many ways, over wages, healthcare and more. Pray, again, for healing of mind and spirit. Galatians 3:28

Wednesday The great state of Ohio is not free from division. Today as you pray, consider the many Issues on the November ballot. Allow God to speak to your soul. Acts 3:1-10

Thursday Pray today for your neighbors in the community in which you live. Pray for a unified vision among community leaders and schools. Titus 3:1-2

Friday Pray for the arts community in your town. How can you support the redevelopment and cultivation of respect for the arts? Pray for a strong, unified voice among leaders. Romans 13:8-10

Saturday In your quiet time today, listen for points of disquiet or discord within your own soul. Ask God to guide you to peace. Proverbs 14:30

Sunday Pray for The United Methodist Church as we continue to wrestle over issues of human rights, identity and love. Greet one another this morning in love. Ephesians 6:23-24

The soul has no gender. –Clarissa Pinkola Estes


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