The Issue of Gender Identity

In my last post I discussed how the biology of men and women corresponds with the primary responsibilities God has given each gender in the family unit. We know through revelation from God to modern prophets and apostles that “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” 

Our society is currently very preoccupied with the issue of gender identity, trying to divorce a person's gender from the biological reality of being born with male body parts or female body parts. There are many facets to this argument, and I don't pretend to be acquainted with them all, nor do I intend to address them all, or even the majority of them, in this post. With the beliefs that I hold (that all people were created by God and that our identity as a son or daughter of God, male or female, existed before this life and will continue to exist after this life), the question that makes sense to me in this whole gender identity discussion is, what if you are not happy with your eternal gender identity and the primary responsibilities associated with it? What if you would rather protect and provide, but you are stuck with the job of creating bodies for and nurturing children instead because your eternal gender identity is female, for example?

When I first posed this question to myself, it seemed like a valid concern someone could have. As I thought about it some more, however, I realized that this is a very self-focused concern. When you turn your focus outward towards others, you realize what a blessing it is to have the ability to help and serve others in whatever ways are available to you. Having the ability to create a physical body for one of your spirit brothers or sisters and nourish that body is a blessing and a privilege--a beautiful opportunity to do something for someone else that they cannot do for themselves, a gift of immeasurable value you can give someone. 

When we are full of charity and our focus is on others, we put all of our physical abilities and other unique gifts and talents to use serving others, and in doing so we experience a fulness of joy as we become more like our heavenly parents. When you are seeing the world through the kind of selfless, eternal perspective God has, it is less important what your talents and abilities are and more important how you are using those talents and abilities to serve others. That is what is really important. And members of both genders are blessed with unique abilities and strengths that allow them to be of great service to their fellow beings and give them the opportunity to participate in God’s incredible work of salvation in important and unique ways. The more we embrace our identity as a son or daughter of God and seek to use and increase our unique  gifts and talents in the service of God and His children, the more fulfillment and joy we will find in our lives now and in eternity.