“We will all be in a spiritually healthy place when we can acknowledge the wounds of people who have harmed us and yet rename them ‘Forgiven’ rather than focusing our attention on their wretched actions that caused us pain.”- Esther Fleece Allen
And Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”- Genesis 50:20 (NLT)
Esther Fleece Allen concludes Chapter 11 of Your New Name as she describes a sure sign of our healing. That sign appears as we rename our offenders. The ones who slandered us, unjustly fired us, or abandoned our friendship so quickly. Because when we focus on God, we see that He uses even dire circumstances to teach us about His name. For, Esther stresses, “God no longer wants our offenders to name us. He wants to give us a new name, and the courage to rename them (emphasis Esther’s).”
Certainly, all of us experience hurt from other people. But, Jesus shows how to respond — unoffended and unafraid. And, Esther continues:
“Many times the wounds we receive will come from people who are wounded themselves. . . . Pilate found no guilt in Jesus, yet he still sentenced Him to death. The wounds of others can heap devastation and destruction on us. Sometimes the weight can feel crushing. And while it hurts deeply, I want you to fix your eyes on the only One who can give you an everlasting new name.”
Finally, Esther exhorts us not to wrongly label preparation as ‘worry’. Because, the author observes, worry:
- never finds itself deposited into a savings account and stored for use on a rainy day
- takes away our joy and peace, clouding our ability to hear our new name
- may disguise itself as godly preparation
So, believe with your whole self God’s truth about your identity as His child. and live out of your new name today!
Today’s question: What Scriptures, songs, or Christian books lead you to a spiritually healthy place? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the annotated bibliography of Your New Name
