Names Matter
June 7, 2023
Mary Guilfoyle
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jn. 10:10
Given our digital age, we’re keenly aware that we’re at risk for identity theft. And because that’s the reality of our times, many of us are more than familiar with a variety of companies that exist to inform us how identity theft happens, how our personal information can be used, and how we can protect ourselves.
Some years ago now, I was a victim of identity theft when my wallet was stolen out of my purse that was hanging on the back of my chair while sitting in a coffee shop. The thieves had in their possession my driver’s license, address, phone number, cash, credit cards, even my checkbook. They had everything they needed to hack away. And hack away they did. To make a long story short, it took my husband and me months to undo all the damage done.
But while that experience was painful and time-consuming, John’s gospel speaks about an even greater thief. He tells us about the one that “comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy” (Jn. 10:10). The gospel writer is talking about the enemy, the ultimate identity thief. And this one is out to steal far more than just our social security number and our financial information. This thief comes for one purpose - to steal our truest identity as beloved sons and daughters of God and to convince you and me that we’re someone other than who we are.
Why am I writing about identity? Because if we’re honest, regardless of our vocation, identity is a core issue for all of us. Whether it be our circumstances, our struggles, or our past, many of us live day after day, either knowingly or unknowingly, allowing the enemy to rename us. In other words, we give the enemy permission to write another narrative about our lives in such a way that it limits, distorts, derails or destroys the plan God has for us.
The enemy’s strategy is to rob you and me of our eternal inheritance, to undo our adoption in Jesus Christ. His tactic is to steal our hope and convince us that we’re disqualified because of our past. He sows fear, doubt and discouragement. In short, this thief wants to issue us a fake ID.
Fake identities come in many forms. Most often they’re the masks we wear and the facades we put up. They’re the names we assign to ourselves or the names others have ascribed to us. Ricardo Sanchez sums up the enemy’s strategy well when he writes, “The devil knows your name but calls you by your sin, but God knows your sin and calls you by name.”
There’s power in names. Names are personal. Names matter.
Think about it for a moment. By what name does the enemy call you? Do these names sound familiar? Abandoned. Failure. Inadequate. Unwanted. Burden. Forgotten. Unloved. Addict.
In the story of the Good Shepherd in John’s gospel we read that, “The sheep hear His voice, and He calls his own sheep by name” (Jn. 10:3). Do you know that? Do you believe that? The Good Shepherd calls you by name. The One who named every star He breathed has a name for you too.
My friends, the only One who has the authority, the right and the privilege of naming you and me is the Father. It’s His absolute delight to teach us to think rightly about who we are and who He is. It’s His joy to restore our identity and to call us His beloved children. He’s the One who tells us that we are not our past; we are not our circumstances; we are not our limitations and we are not what others call us and what we call ourselves.
The Father speaks the unchanging truth that you are His beloved son. You are His beloved daughter. What could be more freeing or more beautiful than that? Perhaps a worthwhile exercise this week may be to spend some time in prayer and ask the Father by what name He calls you.
Perhaps we’ll hear Him say you are reconciled and deeply loved. You are blameless and beyond reproach. You are chosen. You are wanted. You are forgiven. You are victorious. You are mine. You are sanctified. You are rescued. You are royalty. You matter. You are free from condemnation.
Names matter. Together this week, let’s beg for the grace to live according to the name and the astonishing identity the Father has given us. Expect to be changed. Expect a renewed mind and a healed heart. Expect to experience nothing less than His immeasurable love for you. And may we then go out to bear witness to His love to everyone we encounter.
