photo © 2009 taylorandayumi (via: Wylio)Yesterday as we were driving to her swimming lesson, My Girl suddenly asks why her daddy is a pastor. My un-eloquent response: "Um, because he believes God wants him to be." And her response to that: "I don't think I'll be a pastor. That's mostly a men's thing." ARGH!!!
It wasn't very long ago that she was planning to go to seminary and be a children's pastor just like her daddy. But not anymore, apparently.
Which is perfectly fine. Heck, she's only 6. I've only known one person who knew definitively what she was going to be at age 6 (a pediatrician, which she now is at age 36). And I have no great desire for my daughter to be a pastor. Not because she's a girl, but because I know how crazy hard this pastor's life can be, and really, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
But it bothers me that already she has picked up our cultural clues that being a pastor is "mostly" a male thing. It's not that she thinks a woman can't be a pastor. Just this past week our female music pastor preached at our church. And we've visited with friends at a local church with a woman senior pastor. But still, almost everyone she sees in a pulpit is a man. I can say, "Women can be pastors; women can be pastors!" as much as I want, but until she sees that women really are pastors, including senior pastors, my words aren't going to mean much. Not to this child who has reached the age where being alike is very important.
It just goes to show that churches may preach whatever they want, but if their actions don't match their words, it's the actions that are going to teach.
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