(More of my Journey Through the Valley.)
Wednesday marks a significant anniversary in my life. My writing today is to show respect for my journey and to honor God’s faithfulness.
According to Dan Allender, “Our name is our identity. The syllable(s) and sound of our name likely mean more to us than any other word or sound we’ll ever hear.” (To Be Told)
When I was growing up, my dad called me “the boy.” To my ears, that name lacked identity and implied that I was unknown and without value in his eyes. I’m thankful that my friends know and use my real name!
Researching the basic meaning of a name online is pretty simple. I’ve found that “Mark” means warlike; “Andrew” is defined as manly, courageous, or brave. One source suggests that the root of the name “Andrew” reflects Jehovah’s covenant with Abraham, perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
I guess my name could be “Redeemed Brave and Courageous Warlike Man”, or RBCWM! This description of my name sounds a bit arrogant doesn’t it! But actually these are characteristics that God desires for all His sons and daughters. Scripture is full of accounts of men and women who relied on God’s strength to act with bravery and courage. Scripture calls us to be warlike by challenging us to put on God’s armor.
Whether or not we like our name, we need to remember that our current name is not our truest name.
Again in To Be Told, Allender relates, “In the ancient Near East a name conferred meaning and a future.” I connect Allender’s statement to Jeremiah 29:11, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” This in turn reminds me of Revelation 2:17, “To the one who is victorious … I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.”
In eternity we will experience God’s ultimate plans for our good. Those plans include His giving each of us the name that fully identifies us. As my friend Jenny says, this will be a name God has planned for us since before He laid the foundations of the world.
Wow!
Yes, battles linger from once living as “the boy”. And I’m still learning who I am as “Mark Andrew, Redeemed, Brave, and Courageous Warlike Man”. (That’s a quite a mouthful!) But I am confident of this, I am moving towards that day when my Father gives me the name that He has created me to be.
I hope you are moving towards that day as well!
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