Last month, my husband and I visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Before our tour even began, I was pondering the artwork, specifically this sign right outside the women’s restroom:

Upon discussing this with my husband, he mentioned the “Self-Identified Men” sign outside the restroom he used, along with a selection of complimentary feminine hygiene products. Seeing this sign gave me pause. Self-Identified Woman: Is that what I am?

I am Not Just a Self-Identified Woman

Here’s the thing:
I am not just a self-identified woman; I am a woman. There’s a big difference.

I have quite a few plants in my home. Let’s imagine that you come to my house and inquire after a particular plant’s name. If I respond that it self-identifies as an ivy plant, will your curiosity be satisfied? No, because you don’t want to know how the plant self-identifies; you want to know what it is. While the differences between plants and humans are vast and varied, the fact remains: using the label of “self-identification” begs the question, “But who are you?”

Saying I am a self-identified woman implies that:

• I made this decision for myself.
• I am not actually a woman, but I only feel like or choose to be a woman.

If both of the above statements are true, then that means both of them can change. Today, I self-identify as a woman; tomorrow may hold something entirely different.

But God made me female. I’ve always been and always will be female, no matter how I feel. This is limiting. But while we often hear that we can do anything we want and be anyone we want to be, this is, in fact, not true. There are many roles that I will never occupy, not because my goals aren’t high enough or because I didn’t put my mind to achieve greatness, but because I am a human. Embracing my humanity means accepting my limits. This isn’t negative thinking; it’s reality. The sooner I accept this, the sooner I can live to the full potential of who I am rather than chafing at all the things I’m not.

As a limited human, I need someone outside of me to tell me who I am—someone greater, wiser, and more powerful than me. Preferably someone who is eternal and exists outside the limited dimensions of earth, space, and time. As a Christian, I believe there’s a God who made this world and everything in it. God made me; he gets to name me.

“God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
—Genesis 1:27

I am not just a self-identified woman; I am a God-identified woman.
Far from being an unwelcome constraint, my God-given sex is part of his masterful design for my life—a design that is not only intentional but deeply good.