Girl. Daughter. Pastor. Lover of God. LOVED by God. Social Advocate. Intern. Complex. Emotional. Learner. Ambitious. Anxious. In between. Lost. Lonely. Bold. Scared. Timid. Caring. Student. Dependable. Dependent. Loving. WORTHY. Insecure. Liberal. Innovative. Intelligent. Happy. Mixed-Up. Fearful. Helpless. Maternal. Self-aware. Sarcastic. Wounded. Thoughtful. Spiritual. Uncertain.
These are just a few of the words to describe who I am. Imcomplete, yes, but they give some idea of the shape of my soul, my emotions, my being. But notice that most of those words, most of the things that define me are not things that people can tell just by looking at me.
We live in a society where we desire everything to be easy, including getting to know people. But there is a process, that begins with asking people their name and inches forward into more intimate areas. It's a long process. There is a complete difference in my mind between recognizing someone's name and knowing their name. When I know someone's name, I know something meaningful, true, and deep about them. Honestly, even with my closest friends, I'm still getting to know them, and there are things that I learn about my family that are new just about every day. Yet, we try to circumvent this process in the church with a name tag. Is there any hope for intimacy if we aren't willing to take the time, even to introduce ourselves and ask someone their name?
Yet God knows us intimately, warts and all. God knows us deeply and then chooses to rename us, like Jacob. Chooses to give us new life as the beloved. How have you lived into your new identity in Christ and where do you still struggle?
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