Names are interesting. Everyone has a one. It’s your identity.
It’s how you introduce yourself. “Hello! My name is…”
It’s with you from birth to death, and you don’t get to pick it. You don’t even get a say in the matter. The ones that made you got to name you.
Some names have meanings. I looked up the meaning of my name and found lots of different things. Flourishing. Praise worthy. Fairy Queen.
One website said it meant I liked to control everything and another one said it meant I was flexible.
This is what one website said: this person will brighten your day and make you thankful you got out of bed just for the opportunity to experience the wonderfulness they bring to your life.
I know, right? That made me giggle. The wonderfulness? Is that even a word?
He created them male and female; and after creating them, God put a special blessing on them and named them “humanity.” (Genesis 5:2)
In Genesis 2, God brought every animal, bird, and every living thing to Adam to name it. It says specifically that whatever Adam decided to name it that became its name. It’s identity.
God trusted Adam enough to name His entire creation. Well….almost all of it. Adam named EVERYTHING else, but he didn’t get to name himself. He didn’t get to give himself his identity.
God did that.
My parents gave me my name. Tonya. (And my nickname, Toni.) I could tell you my name is Sally or Jennifer or Becky, but that would be a lie. That’s not who I am.
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When we came into Christ, we became a new person with a new name.
Sometimes it’s hard to shake off the old identity. We let life name us. Or people. Or circumstances. We used to say, “Hello! My name is: Weak. Unworthy. Unloved. Defeated. Failure. Unwanted. Insecure.”
But we don’t get to name ourselves. He created us. He gets to give us our identity. Now we get to call ourselves by our new name.
Hello! May name is:
- Loved
- Righteous
- Holy
- Set apart
- Masterpiece
- Beautiful
- Anointed
- Valuable
- Healed
- Joyful
- Worthy
- Strong
- Secure
- Conqueror
- Overcomer
And the list could go on and on and on.
What God calls us is the truth about us. Even if we don’t see it. Even if we don’t feel like it’s true.
What God calls us is our identity, so we need to start calling ourselves that, too. It’s always best to agree with Him. He’s pretty smart. And the more you say it, the more you’ll believe it.
So……what’s your name?