Using my words

Psalms 139:13-15 (The Message)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

There comes a time

when we must reclaim our words

A time

when we must stop allowing others

to define what we mean

when we speak

and who we are

in anything other than

the beautiful

Creator God language

of the divine image

visible in all of God’s creation

A time

when our words

(like the queen in Alice in Wonderland)

mean whatever we say they mean.

So today, I’m reclaiming disciple

a word, not just for the theologically conservative 

but a way of living

into which Jesus calls all:

Male, female, cis, trans, gay, lesbian, straight, curious

to name but a few!

I am a disciple 

And, while I’m at it - 

I’m reclaiming power

a word feared and resisted by many

particularly sisters...

When not abused or corrupted

Power is a force for good,

a thing of beauty.

I have power

And, on a roll,

I’m reclaiming vagina

No longer will I define myself

(as some others define me)

as not having a penis
and therefore disqualified
from certain roles

but as a woman

who has a vagina

I have a vagina

And, right there, is a creation of God

Fearfully and wonderfully made:

A woman called to be a disciple, 

A woman, with a vagina, 

called to use her power

as a gift from God

a force for good

for all of creation 

And, in reclaiming these words

I recognise

the privilege that is mine

and pledge

to also stand up and fight

for all whose words

are lost

or diminished

or redefined

by others.

Until they too

are heard when they say

Body and soul, I am marvellously made!