What's in a name?

Two stories:

1. The tiny blue flowers of my childhood have such a poignant name, Forget-me-not. I love little pillows with them embroidered on them, or the framed pictures of their dried petals. They have a few legends attached to them, one of which is that the flower cried out to God when he was naming the flowers, "Forget me not, O Lord!" And God said, "That shall be your name."

2. In the book, "Hind's Feet on High Places" by Hannah Hurnard, is an allegory of the life of a person from lost to becoming a child of God. The main character is called "Much-Afraid," who undergoes a transformation as she journey's from her village to the High Places. In the end of the story she is given a new name, "Grace-and-Glory" as her life no longer is one lived in fear, but rather a life of sacrificed love for her Shepherd.

What is your name? Not the given one that you have been given by your parents, but rather the one that your Creator would call you. Is it Victory in Christ? Called to Holiness? or a name that reflects a deep need like Wanting Much? or Lost Purpose?

Read this found in Isaiah 62:

2The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
3You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah,a
and your land Beulahb;
for the LORD will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
5As a young man marries a maiden,
so will your sonsc marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.


If you have not surrendered to God, if you have not cried out, "forget me not, O Lord" and allowed Him to rename you, your purpose in Him may still be the question mark in your soul. Like the people of Israel, God can change you and rename you. Please trust that He will take delight in whatever you have to offer and allow him to bestow a new name upon you.

If you are already living with that new name and with a new purpose, ponder for a moment if you are living up to the name God has given you, or are allowing the world's desires to make you forget who you are and what God has brought you from. I slip into this when I forget that although I am gifted in certain things, God still needs to get the glory. My name was Pride in Self (lots of hurt in that) and now I try to live my new name (which I'm keeping it to myself for now).

(By the way, Hephzibah means my delight is in her and Beulahb means married.)