You are Whose You are

Someone else gave you your name.  Think about that for a moment.

Among the items that make up the most central part of your identity, of who you are in this world – your name might be at the top of the list.  Who are you without your name?  And yet – you had nothing to do with the name; it was given to you.

At your center – you are not own; you are whose you are.

Naming someone is a tremendous privilege, and must be seen as one of the most holy things a person can do.  Hopefully the one who named you followed up with a relationship of intimacy, care and commitment.  All too often, those who were rejected by the one who named them have at their core a “missing piece” – their name becomes Rejection, Absence, Abandonment.

And even more so in Isaiah’s day, given names told folks something about who you were at your core, what your personality was like, and maybe even what your mission or role was in society.

So when God starts giving out new names to the Jews that returned to Judea from exile, he’s marking it as important as him giving birth to a brand new identity.  Yahweh looks right into the eyes of the Jewish remnant and boldly proclaims,

62:4 Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City”

or “The Desolate Land.”

Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight”

and “The Bride of God,”

for the Lord delights in you

and will claim you as his bride.

What is your name?  Who gave you that name?  What is your relationship with them like today?

Does the statement you are whose you are bring dread or delight to your heart?

Many followers of Jesus have a retreat where they head out on their own for a few days to listen to God and discover their true, “spiritual” name. It is a weekend to discover the name God gave you – a time to reorient your core identity as coming out of intimacy with Papa God.

May you find the name you’ve been given by God, and live under his delight!

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