Last night, before he went to sleep, I carried on a conversation with my 3-year-old son, Kaleb. For me, it's a great way to develop a stronger connection and simultaneously develop his speech. I love looking into those big brown eyes and listening to him communicate in his funny little way. Plus, I always get a kick out of hearing the things he says. Kaleb is my little buddy.
"So, what's your name?" I asked, laying next to him on his pillow.
"Tay-lub," he responded with a sheepish grin.
"Wow, that's a nice name," I told him. "Who gave you that name?"
"Tuh-dar," he said, meaning, "Kedar," his older brother.
"Oh, Kedar gave you that name?" I asked.
"Ummm... K-k," he stammered. "Kaiah (his older sister) dave me dat name," he grinned proudly, without any inkling that he was misguided.
Needless to say, Kaleb knows his name, but when it comes to recognizing who gave it to him, well, we're gonna need to work on that.
You know, that quick exchange made me think about how many of us don't realize the value of knowing who gave us our name. We often take for granted the power of confidently understanding our identity and who it originates with. But it's crucially important to be aware of this; otherwise, we'll allow others to attach labels to us and define our existence, rather than looking to God to tell us who we are.
It's time for you to boldly declare, "I am who God says I am. Only HE has the power to truly name me." Even in the Bible, we find that God took an active role in the naming process; there were certain individuals like Abraham (Abram), Sarah (Sarai), Israel (Jacob), Paul (Saul), who had their names changed in order to reflect God's purpose and plan for their lives.
Today, I want you to know who named you. Make a decision not to ever allow anyone else to come into your life and override what God says about you. No matter who has rejected you, what your circumstances say, or what you're going through right now... you are still God's elect. 1 Peter 2:9-10 in The Message Bible says, "But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him..."
You are chosen. Your name has been changed ever since you were adopted into the family of God. Now, by the blood of Jesus Christ the Lamb--the One with the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9)--has endued you with power to live in accordance with the call of God that's on your life. Always know who you are and whose you are.
As always, thanks for reading, and until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs
