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Tuesday, August 26, 2014
By: Rebecca Landry
Names
Song of Solomon 2:16 My beloved is Mine, and I am His
My son has gotten to a point where he no longer likes his affectionate nicknames AND suddenly cares about being "cool." He's five. FIVE. If I call him cute, he furrows his brow and insists that I change it to "cool." Most recently, he's wanted me to not call him "Lovie" but "Five Lovie." You know, because he's FIVE and all, and "Lovie" is for babies.
"Five Lovie" is ridiculous and silly, but he doesn't see it that way. He sees it as an honor, a prestigious title fit for a super cool kid like himself.
From my teenager years, I have always cared about titles. Names like "Valedictorian," "Student Council President" and "Cheer Captain" meant something to me. I didn't have any of those titles, but to me, they represented value and worth. Significance.
As I got older, I followed the same pattern. I studied like crazy to one day have the letters "R.N. B.S.N" behind my name. I really thought that graduating with honors from college would make me matter, make me special. I wasn't just me ... I had accomplishments with the letters and titles to prove it. I would matter.
Except with each hurdle and title, my soul felt more and more empty. None of these names I yearned for changed anything. I was basically a five year old wanting a "cool" name.
The most important names are not the ones I can work for, get a certification for, study for, or win a contest for. All of the titles that I hold on this earth will be meaningless one day. The most amazing name I could ever have is what my Creator calls me. Beloved. Dearly loved. Cherished and treasured. The God of the universe calls me His BELOVED.
It doesn't matter if you didn't make it past the second grade or you have the letters M.D. or super-duper-rocket-scientist behind your name, your value is predetermined by our Father. You are loved. You matter.
I challenge you to own the titles God gives you. He calls us sons and daughters, friends, His treasures, His masterpieces. In the scope of eternity, these NAMES rank above everything else.
Dear Lord, Thank You for loving me beyond measure. Help me to find my value and worth in You and You alone.
I thank You Jesus for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.
Reflection: Are you placing more importance on the names the world calls you OR on what God calls you?
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