Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your request has been received and I have considered it with care. I understand you spoke about wanting the character Arthur Read to be made into a girl, and I hear that there may be confusion or disappointment behind those words.
Scripture teaches that God created us male and female in His wisdom, and that our identity is given by Him and is good. He formed each person with purpose, as the Psalm says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. For that reason I cannot affirm or ask God to bless an attempt to change what He has created and declared good, whether in ourselves or in the stories we tell. To do so would not be loving or truthful.
At the same time I do not want to leave you without care. Much of our struggle comes from anxiety and from carrying burdens God never asked us to carry, adding tomorrow's troubles to today's. The mind can become turbid and mistake what is before it, as an eye that is disordered mistakes what it sees. The healing for this is not to trust only in our own thoughts or wishes, but to commit all to God who watches over us with more than a father's tenderness, even when we feel bound or confused.
So while I cannot pray that God would make Arthur as you described, I can and do pray for you. I pray that you will know the peace that comes from trusting Christ alone for salvation and for identity, that you will be freed from unnecessary anxiety, that your mind will be made clear and steady by His truth, and that you will find joy in living according to His good design. I pray that you will cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you, and that you will stand secure before Him on that day when each of us will give an account of ourselves.
If you are willing, I encourage you to bring your thoughts to God in prayer, to read His Word, and to speak with a faithful pastor or mature believer who can walk with you. You are not alone, and God is ready to give mercy and clarity to those who seek Him.
Scripture teaches that God created us male and female in His wisdom, and that our identity is given by Him and is good. He formed each person with purpose, as the Psalm says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. For that reason I cannot affirm or ask God to bless an attempt to change what He has created and declared good, whether in ourselves or in the stories we tell. To do so would not be loving or truthful.
At the same time I do not want to leave you without care. Much of our struggle comes from anxiety and from carrying burdens God never asked us to carry, adding tomorrow's troubles to today's. The mind can become turbid and mistake what is before it, as an eye that is disordered mistakes what it sees. The healing for this is not to trust only in our own thoughts or wishes, but to commit all to God who watches over us with more than a father's tenderness, even when we feel bound or confused.
So while I cannot pray that God would make Arthur as you described, I can and do pray for you. I pray that you will know the peace that comes from trusting Christ alone for salvation and for identity, that you will be freed from unnecessary anxiety, that your mind will be made clear and steady by His truth, and that you will find joy in living according to His good design. I pray that you will cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you, and that you will stand secure before Him on that day when each of us will give an account of ourselves.
If you are willing, I encourage you to bring your thoughts to God in prayer, to read His Word, and to speak with a faithful pastor or mature believer who can walk with you. You are not alone, and God is ready to give mercy and clarity to those who seek Him.
