If you ever want to feel like a fraud, write a blog. Seriously. More times than not, I feel inadequate in the things that I share because so many times I feel my faith and trust in Jesus isn’t strong enough to put out there for the world wide web to read. And if you want to feel like a bigger fraud, change your blog’s domain name to your own name.
But that is what I did. I have been thinking about it for about 6-8 months now, but felt it was prideful. However once I started having major problems with my site, I decided to switch blog platforms again, which would mean designing a whole new site, and with that I decided to change the name of my blog again to a name that will never change.
There is another name that is unchanging.
Speaking of name’s. What is in a name? A lot actually. When considering names for our children, we would always look into the meaning of names. We named our children before they were born, and Olivia’s name was actually chosen when I was pregnant with Charlie.
Charlie’s name means “valiant”, and Olivia’s means “peace” and “walks with God”. Their names are ones that we pray for them, and that is a part of who they are.
Your name carries meaning too. Your name carries identity, but nothing carries a heavier meaning than your identity in Christ. I love how Ephesians 1 carries so much truth about who we are in Christ. Let me sum that up in two words.
Chosen daughters.
For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. Ephesians 1:4-8
When I was growing up, in gym class, we would always have team captains that got to choose their teams. The captains would go back and forth picking members of their team, and I will be the first to tell you that I wasn’t very athletic. As you can imagine I never got picked first. Like ever. More like last, or very close to it.
In remembering back it wasn’t fun. I mean, I get it. When we are considering who we want on our teams, we want to ensure that we have the best, so that we have the best shot at winning.
You were chosen.
We all have a desire to be loved. Known. Chosen. And God not only chose us before the creation of the world, He had a plan for us to be holy and blameless in His site. His plan was for adoption as His daughters because of Jesus, even though we were separated from Him by our sin. We didn’t deserve to be chosen yet we were because of the riches of His grace that He lavished on us.
I really like the word lavish. It is a word that to me shows that when He does something, it is noticable, it stands out. He doesn’t do anything that is mediocre, or average. When He does something, it won’t be missed. You know like, turning water into wine, healing the sick with just a touch, calming a storm or walking on water, or the forgiving of sins.
And that is what He does. The impossible. The things that will catch out attention, and turn us in our tracks. He takes the lost, and calls them “His”. He takes the forgotten, and tells them they are fully known. He takes the sinners, and makes them clean. Takes our crooked path, and makes it straight. He takes the shamed, and gives them peace. Welcomes the condemned, and shows them they are loved. And takes the outcast, and calls them chosen.
It is by the name of Jesus Christ, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4: 10,12
Yes. There is a lot in the name. But there is a name above all names. It is a name that carries peace. A name that brings hope to the hopeless, and restoration to the broken. The only Name that saves us from our sin, shines in the darkness, silences the lies of the enemy, resurrects our dry bones, and overcame death and the grave because of the grace He continues to lavish on us. Surely there is a lot in the name. The name of Jesus.
I was given a cross necklace a few years ago that I never took off. When we are getting ready for bed, Olivia usually will play with it. And I in a sense always tell her “daughter you are loved”.
Chosen daughter, you are loved.
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