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God Made Boys and Girls is the latest book by pastor and author Marty Machowski. Machowski’s books are always encouraging and truth-filled and God Made Boys and Girls is no exception. This book begins with Maya, a young girl who enjoys things like football and climbing trees. Some boys at school make fun of her for this so their teacher, Mr. Ramirez, gives them a biblical lesson on gender. He tells his students, “. . . gender is the word we use to describe God’s good gift of creating each of us either male or female.”
God Made Boys and Girls goes on to explain that God gifted each individual with the genetic makeup that they have. I like that the characters in the book don’t fit traditional gender stereotypes. Machowski wrote, “. . . it is not what we do or like or think that makes us a boy or a girl. God gave us our gender as a special gift, and God never makes mistakes. His ways are perfect.”
Machowski presents the idea of gender as a gift from God. I had thought of gender as good since it was God’s idea but I had never considered it a gift. Although God Made Boys and Girls is a book meant for children, I found myself learning new things about God as I read it with my oldest daughter.
Machowski included a gospel presentation in the book that is simple to understand yet theologically rich. Reading it greatly encouraged my heart.
He wrote, “Jesus lived a perfect life and never sinned so that he could take our sin upon himself. The world hated Jesus and nailed him to a cross to die. While he hung nailed to the cross, God the Father punished Jesus for our sin. Today anyone who turns from their sins and trusts in Jesus can be saved and forgiven. God puts his Holy Spirit into the heart of everyone who believes in Jesus to remind them of God’s ways and God’s plan and to help them live for God and be the person God made them to be.”
Machowski uses the gospel as the catalyst for why Christians ought to love others – even if they prefer activities that might not be traditionally enjoyed by their gender (for example, the book illustrates a female scientist and a male dancer). As a side note, I have to add that I LOVE that the gospel presentation includes all persons of the Trinity.
One of my favorite aspects of God Made Boys and Girls is that Machowski isn’t blind to the growing cultural confusion about gender. The book ends with one character stating, “Jesus said that we should love our neighbors and even those who disagree with us. So we should show love to people who might be confused about their gender and about how God made them.” Overall, Machowski did a first-rate job of tackling a tough subject in a way that is God-honoring and understandable for individuals of all ages. My daughter and I really enjoyed God Made Boys and Girls and I am pleased to recommend it.
I received God Made Boys and Girls compliments of New Growth Press in exchange for my honest review.
