Called by name

 

            It occurred to me this week that many of us have titles; professor, mechanic, doctor, pastor, nurse, teacher, plumber, carpenter, mother, father, and the list can go forever. Many of us have worked hard to earn our titles, I know I spent many hours becoming a nurse and I take a certain amount of pride in the title. But there are days I don’t want to be the nurse; I just want to be Jody, it’s comforting.

            Isaiah 43:1b “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” In context this is a prophecy to Israel and goes on to describe how God will be w
ith us through water and fire, in other words through all our traumas. I cherish the idea of being called by name. You see, along with the titles we might bear come expectations, responsibilities, and pressures. I recall my first year of being a nurse among a staff of about 40 other fabulous nurses and feeling a bit lost in the crowd working the off shift and one of the doctors called me by my name. I was so tickled to learn he knew my name! Even so, he still had expectations of me as a nurse but I felt more compelled to meet the expectation. Consider where and when you feel most content. My guess is that it is place where no one has any expectations of you. It’s a place of rest. A place where you just get to be you.

            How utterly marvelous it is that God knows us by name and on top of that He claims us as His own. The only expectation is to love, love God and love people. I admit, there are some people who make loving them not for the faint hearted. Loving others bears fruit and produces a harvest that you may never see, but God does. Sometimes, loving them means doing the hard thing like saying no. Yet, when they love you it is a place of rest. You can provide a place of rest as well. Hearing another person call you by name (Unless it’s your full name, then you know you’re in trouble.) provides a bit of comfort in the familiarity. And if they say and/or spell your name correctly, well that’s a bonus.

            You want to show someone love? Call them by their name. It’s a simple idea but you can make someone’s day. Look at the cashier’s name tag and tell her thank you or have a nice day using her/his name. Talking to a customer service person on the phone? Write the name down at the beginning of the conversation and thank them by name for their help. Can’t remember someone’s name? Apologize for your forgetfulness and ask them their name and use it. We are quick to take a name when someone doesn’t meet our expectation and tell someone else about the failure. We need to be as generous with appreciation and praise as we are with criticism. There are times and places when titles are appropriate and necessary however there are also times when you can be a source of rest just calling someone by name. It demonstrates recognition of the individual, especially when accompanied by kind words. It is a sharing the fruit that God has harvested in you when He called you by name.

            John 15:8,9 “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”