God2Share

Jonathan Pooh Bear and my Sweet Cheeked, Sleepy Head, Fuzzy Hair Daniel Love.

These were the special names I chose for each of my sons when they were born.

Silly, heartfelt creations like the one my grandmother had given to me. She had dubbed me Tootle Bootle Bum Bum as a child, a name that I did not unearth until I had sons of my own. While Jonathan’s eventually moved to Bubbie Boo and Daniel’s name was shortened to Mushy Moo, I am sure that my teenage boys would be happy to bury these terms of endearment elsewhere.

But on the days when life is unkind, I hope they dig them up and remember that they are loved.

There are names that the world piles upon us, like dirt, that are not so heartfelt.

And sometimes, there are names we misguidedly heap upon ourselves.

We forget so easily that Our Heavenly Father has special names for us as well.

Chosen.

“We know, brothers and sisters, loved by God, that He has chosen you…(1 Thessalonians 1:4)

Forgiven.

“In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

Accepted.

“Receive one another, then, just as Christ received you, to God’s glory.” (Romans 15:7)

Loved.

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

His children.

“But to all who have received him – those who believe in His name – he has given the right to become God’s children.” (John 1:12)

The enemy is not happy when we remember our name.

When Issac became too powerful, he was met with opposition.

“The man had so many flocks and herds and servants, that the Philistines envied him. So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug up in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with dirt. Then Abimelek said to Issac, “Move away from us; you have become to powerful for us. So Issac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. Issac reopened the wells that had been dug up in the time of his father,Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham had died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.” (Genesis 26: 14-18)

Filled with dirt, Issac not only opened the wells, but also gave them the same names his father had given them. He reclaimed the names.

Sisters, I do not know what names the world thrusts upon you, like mounds of dirt filling the wells of your souls, but I do know where your name is written.

On the days when the world is unkind, dig deep into His word and remember your name. Reclaim it.

Chosen. Forgiven. Accepted. Loved.

His child.

Amen.

“I’d know that walk anywhere,” I told John.

We were meeting my Uncle Dick at the airport and staying with my family in Oahu before going on to Kauai. I had scanned the baggage claim area to look for him, but his face was not the first thing that I recognized. The man walking away from us had a distinct shuffle.

I had seen that walk a hundred times before.

It belonged to my grandmother.

Tootie, as I liked to call her, had passed away a few years before I met my husband. I was brought up in a multi-generational house and she was a daily part of my life growing up. Tootie was my safe place. My heart was heavy when she died. I knew she would never see me walk down the aisle or meet my husband and children. And they would never meet the woman who shaped my life by teaching me about faith, contentment and love.

But there was something about Uncle Dick that reminded me so much of Tootie. That moment seeing him shuffle through the airport almost took my breath away. The family resemblance was striking. His facial features and gait were the same, but it wasn’t just his appearance. It was also his character that mirrored my grandmother’s. There was a familiar kindness in his eyes, and a contentment and love for his family that made me feel as if I were looking right at Tootie. His faith was evident. And I vividly remember saying to my husband, “this is the closest you will ever come to seeing my grandmother.”

When Jesus came to live among men, this was the closest we had ever come to seeing God.

Colossians 1:15 :“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

We were now in the presence of a man whose character mirrored that of the Creator.

Jesus was gentle and moved among the people in a distinct way. He spent time with those society deemed unworthy or undesirable: tax collectors, prostitutes, adulterers, criminals.

He walked among sinners.

He walked in love.

Friends, we are created in that same image.

Genesis 1 : 27 “ So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”

God created us in His image for a reason.

My friend, Randy, a youth volunteer, recently reminded our group at a Youth Rally that we all have a family resemblance to God.

Some people have never experienced God. How will they experience Him through seeing us? Will they see the family resemblance?

Friends, God asks those who He created in His image to walk in love.

What a wonderful world it would be if our family resemblance to our Father was so strong that others would say:

“I’d know that walk anywhere.”

Walk in love, brothers and sisters.