“When people mess with our names, they are messing with the core of who we are. Our names are sacred identifiers. So when others want to attack our names, they’ll have to take it up with the God who named us in the first place, and He will never back down.”- Esther Fleece Allen
Esther Fleece Allen concludes Chapter 9 of Your New Name as she acknowledges that we’re all fragile when it comes to accepting who we are as sons or daughters of God. Above all, we need meaningful relationships to remind us of our new names as Christ followers. And, Esther notes, it’s also okay to ask God for a reminder!
Yet, Esther observes, there’s a lot at stake if we forget our God-given names. Because forgetting our new names can cause us to forget:
- our identities
- where we came from and where we’re heading
- the name of God
Finally, Esther counsels, don’t expect understanding from the secular world around you. The secular world fails to recognize and celebrate you as a new creation. Most significantly, we must prepare for a world that labels us as fools. The author adds:
“When we hear our name from God, however, we can live courageously when labels that limit come our way. Instead of taking these labels to heart, we can realize that the attack against us is actually against the One who names us and lives inside us.”
Shortly after Jay and Katherine Wolf married, Katherine suffered a sudden brain stem stroke. Although she existed on life support for forty days, by God’s grace she survived. In addition, two intense years of brain rehab followed.
Today Jay and Katherine live out their new name, ‘Hope’. They run a beautiful ministry that offers hope to people with disabilities: Hope Heals. In this ministry, they encourage others to find their ability and blessing from God. Rather than focus on the label ‘disabled’.
As 2 Thessalonians 5:21 reminds us, hold fast to what is good.
Today’s question: What Bible verses comfort us when people mess with our names? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Left alone with our thoughts – a dangerous place”
