woman. no mistake.

as a woman, I appreciate when churches take the time to ensure songs, especially classic hymns, use language inclusive of both genders (e.g. in "Be Thou My Vision" changing "I Thy true son" to "I Thy true child"). this is not because I think churches intend to be exclusive in any way, or that the songs are for me/about me (which is why, usually, when language is not inclusive I can brush it off - it's about God, not me)...but because to me, using inclusive language in a hymn that for so long has excluded my gender reminds me that I am intentionally included in the Kingdom, not as just some afterthought or "bonus" girl-version of a son, but very intentionally *as* a daughter. I am a daughter-child, not a son-child, and there was no mistake in that.