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New Names

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By design#860

 

"Did you find everything you need, darlin'?" I was in the check-out line at the local grocery store. The cashier was a man around my age and clearly didn't think addressing me this way could come across a little spicey, especially since he didn’t know me. I kept quiet and chuckled inside. I was in new territory.

New territory is Ardmore, Oklahoma. This is where I live now. It’s more than 900 miles from where I was born and where I have lived all my life. Before moving here, I visited the area often. Both my adult kids have situated themselves in the Southwest and have been calling it home for many years. Now it was my turn. My husband and I just planted ourselves here about four months ago, and while it’s been exciting, it still doesn’t seem real much of the time.

The South has a beautiful, meandering way about it. People are engaging, and friendly conversations come easy and are found among neighbors and strangers. Most likely you will be called an endearing name, like sweetie, honey, or darlin’. They are delivered happily and casually. It’s all been an adventure, for sure. It’s also been an adventure to get accustomed to a new rhythm of life.

The slower pace and casual talk are just a part of the culture and charm of an area that is new to me. I’ve noticed that people pour kindness onto others through these little interactions. It’s quite a contrast coming from the “busy” speed I came from. A speed that sometimes doesn’t allow for room to quiet the self-talk and endless list of things on the to do list. That’s sort of the pace I am used to and sometimes it makes me wear an imaginary “do not disturb” sign around my neck. A sign that says, hurry up, I have things to do. It’s hard to shed the fast-paced, getter-done mentality that I’ve owned most of my life. 

But here, in Ardmore, my sign is ignored, and in many ways, this has been a gift. It is good that people don’t affirm the impatient nature I sometimes might own. The gift is this…I need to give myself permission to slow down and receive the kindnesses being offered. I think that’s called undeserved grace.

Thankfully, God looks beyond my flawed nature as well. He may see the “do not disturb” sign I hang around my neck, but it doesn’t stop Him. He sees through it and beyond it. He sees all of me and that includes all the hard places in my heart. The heart He fixed long ago and made whole. The heart He speaks to with the sort of love and kindness that can make changes in me. The heart that still needs fixing. And that’s called grace. Note to self…remember this! 

Let me not forget His gift. His grace, which I need every minute of every day. It’s because of His grace that he calls me names. Beautiful names. Names like beloved, redeemed, wonderful, etc. There is a big difference, though, between His name calling and the name calling from someone who doesn’t know me. The casual sweetie and darlin’ from a stranger is just that. Casual. When God speaks to me, it is different. It is intentional. It is intimate. It is relational.

God sees me and sees you through the eyes of Love. And he tells us exactly how much he loves us in the pages of the Bible, the greatest love story written. Now the key is to slow down and receive it.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

 

He values us so much that He made a way to bring us hope, restoration, and eternal life through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus. All this because He loves.

It is in this intimate relationship that we hear and embrace the names He speaks to us. He calls us chosen, redeemed, loved. Beautiful names to be received and locked in our hearts where they are not dismissed or forgotten. His love for me enables the “do not disturb” sign to fall off.

For some of us, being emotionally intimate can be intimidating. For me, it means letting my guard down and quiet my heart so that I can receive His love. I must let go of the notion that I am not worth much. But I am. And so are you. Once I let go of the fear of being too needy, I can receive the truth of who I am through Christ in me.

One of the most beautiful scriptures, to me, about God’s love for me is Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.

 

God is with me, sees me, saves me, calms me, and rejoices over me. And He rejoices over you!

In all this newness of living in the South, I have a wonderful opportunity to learn. To discover a new rhythm and to embrace words and a pace that I am not accustomed to. And in this space, I let it serve as a quiet reminder of the true culture I am a part of, which is God’s kingdom. This is where I plant my thoughts, focusing on God’s nature towards me.

There are so many other promises and demonstrations of God’s love for me…too numerous to share here, but if you open your Bible, you will find them. Sit quietly in His presence and you will hear them spoken to you personally. As I embrace these true names, my hard shell becomes softened, and my heart becomes pliable so that I can be shaped and loved by God. Most of all, it enables me to give that love away to others.

“We love because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19


Photo by Ken Kerckx

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