Every day regardless of where we are going street kids mob us. They come running, sometimes out of nowhere and trample us. Young girls and boys come with hands wide open just to touch us, give us high fives, jump on us, or hug us. I would love to say that I am excited about this; but often times I am not. I speed walk as fast as I can to get away from the mob of kids, I walk to the other side of the road, and if I don’t do either of the two I walk with my arms up in the air where they can’t cling to me.
If that isn’t already overwhelming, you then have 20 kids in a high pitched voice screaming “what’s your nameSome days I give them my real name, other times I make up names or combine words to make a name and it works. My favorite one is “shouda bought a honda” say it really fast and they some how get a name out of it, say my real name and they can’t say it. I think I got frustrated really easily with this for two reasons. One they never once asked how we were. Second the times at which they mob us were first thing in the morning and we were hardly awake, and after a full day of ministry where we are exhausted.
I started thinking about the question “what’s your name?” Why did they care more about our name rather than how we were? Then I realized that we do the same thing. We put more emphasis on our name, our label. We strive and fight and put so much effort to fit the name of who society tells us we should be, what others think of us, and who we think we should be rather than living as who we are called to be. We kill ourselves trying to be someone we are not. Why do we do this to ourselves when we have been given a name… ? Why do we see this worth fighting for rather then accepting and fighting for who Christ calls us?
I have been given a name, plenty of names by God Almighty. He calls me
– Righteous (Romans 4:6)
– Adopted by God (Ephesians 1:5)
-Citizen of heaven (2 Timothy 4:18)
– Heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17)
– Friend of God (John 15:15)
– Redeemed (Revelation 5:9)
– Victorious in Christ (Romans 6:14)
– King (Revelation 1:6)
– Loved (Romans 8:38-39)
– Saints (1 Corinthians 1:2)
– Christ’s ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20)
– New creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
– Servant to God (Romans 6:22)
– Child of God (John 1:12)
– Holy (1 Peter 1:16)
– Sanctified (1 Corinthians 6:11)
– Free (Galatians 5:1)
– Radiant (Hebrew 1:3)
These names are free to us, ours to claim because of Christ’s work on the cross. He paid the price so we could become like him and put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). He did this because he loves us, adores us and wants us. He sees Him in each and every one of his children. He desires for us to shine his light, enjoy life through glorifying Him.
On our last day of ministry Lindsey and I are walking home and the same girl that walks three blocks with u every day after ministry shows up and yet again asked me what’s your name. I yelled back slowly saying I already told you my name.
Jesus, kindly in that moment whispered to me “I already told you your name as well, why aren’t you walking in it? Whoop there it is.
I froze in my footsteps and said checkmate.
Not always do I walk in the names of who Jesus calls me.Yet this journey is partly about me choosing to walk in the names that Jesus has called me regardless of how I feel about myself, who others think I am, and what society tells me I should be. What name are you not walking in?
