I had a boyhood friend we nicknamed “Choke” beginning in eighth grade and running throughout his high school career. It all started with one innocent prank he played on a classmate that went horribly wrong. It was Spirit Week, and all the boys wore ties to show off their school spirit. During science class, my friend spontaneously decided to wrap his tie around a student’s neck, just to be funny. He gave it a quick tug with an innocent smirk and a wry laugh, only to shockingly find that his little prank made this student immediately pass out! (I cannot even begin to fathom the terror that must have rampaged through my friend’s fourteen-year-old mind, imagining that he had killed this poor boy.) Fortunately, the student quickly regained consciousness and was no worse from the experience, but my friend endured a strong scolding from the teacher, immense laughter from the students, and a new “nickname” that stayed with him for the rest of his school career. It’s saddening how one momentary mistake can label a person for months, years, or perhaps the rest of their life. In the Bible, I’ve always felt badly for Jesus’ disciple Thomas (forever labeled “Doubting Thomas”), who wanted to see evidence for the Christ’s resurrection, and not simply believe his friends’ eye-witness accounts. We fail to remember as well that when He at last saw the proof of His Lord, he immediately crumpled to the ground before Him and joyously cried out “My Lord and my God!” Later, he went on to share the good news of Christ with the people of Persia and even went as far as the borders of India, eventually dying as a martyr for the gospel—yet all we remember him as is “Doubting Thomas”—the one who refused to simply believe. And now--what about you? What episodes have you undergone in life that have stamped a label, a false-identity, and a not-so-fashionable nickname on yourself? For some it has been a past crime where time has been served but the stigma still lingers. For others it’s a struggle with addictions or a baby out of wedlock. Deeper yet, it might be words from a parent spoken decades ago that still echo powerfully in our memories, an abuse from childhood, or school & job failures that paralyze us from ever wanting to take risks again. We have our own name embroidered on our heart and soul, reading “Failure,” “Rejected,” “Whore,” “Insignificant,” “Trouble-maker”—all names that attack our humanity and reduce us to malfunctioned machinery. God also has labels placed on our souls when we make the life-changing choice to give up ourselves and belong to Him. They are good labels and positive names: Phrases like “Child of God,” “Saint,” “Treasured Possession,” “Friend of God,” “Forgiven,” “Citizen of Heaven,” and “Infinitely Precious.” Although we may still struggle with the deck of cards Life has dealt us, these God-names trump any other card we have resting in our hands. Today I encourage you to place your trust in the names that God has chosen to call you. Learn to block those demeaning words that still resonate in your skull with the endearing tenderness God has for you. In time, those old lies and labels will fade, and you will live anew with the joyful song of God’s love that embraces your life as you live for Him. “You will be called ‘The Holy People,’ ‘The Redeemed of the Lord,’…’Sought After,’ and ‘The City No Longer Deserted.’” Isaiah 62:12
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 10:31:45 +0000
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