Hello, my name is….

Junior year of high school, I had a tendency to accidentally miss class periodically. I’m not really sure how it would happen, but inevitably somehow nearly every day something “came up” that got in the way of my class schedule and, well, decisions had to be made. Given that I already felt like I was completely fluent in English, it seemed that English class was a bit superfluous so it usually didn’t make the cut of classes I would attend for the day. My English teacher that year was an eccentric, somewhat older lady named Mrs. Wisecarver. Well, that was her official teacher name, but to me she was just Marge. While she on the other hand always addressed me as Mr. McDonald. Basically, I showed her no respect and she chose to show me respect I didn’t deserve. For a punk, high-school kid it was a pretty good arrangement.

When someone asks you your name, what do you say? Is it complicated? “Well, when I was kid my parents called me ________, but now I go by ________, and my friends call me ________.” It should be a pretty simple question, but for many (myself included), it’s actually not a simple answer. In many ways, our name is tied to our identity and that can get complicated. Identity seems to have two parts. There is the identity that we are known by, and more importantly there is the identity by which we know ourselves. The struggle we all face is to really know and accept our true identity, and then to make that identity congruent with how we are known and perceived in our family and social circles. For the sake of pursuing authenticity, I’m ignoring the whole question of our “social media identity” that is often a presentation of a false identity that we wish we had, but simply isn’t true or even a realistic desire, but that’s for a different conversation. Today, I just want to ask you, what is your name? In other words, what is your identity?

We see several examples in the bible of people being given a new name. Saul became Paul, Simon is called Peter, Abraham started out as Abram, Jacob was later named Israel, and the list goes on. Benjamin, Sarah, Levi, and Esther…..all on the list of name-changers. So, perhaps the better question to ask is not, “who are you?”, but, “who does God say that you are?” That is where our truer identity is found. Your story may be one of rejection, but God says, “I accept you as you are.” Your past may be riddled with failure and shame, but your true identity tells a story of redemption. I’ve wrestled with wanting to change my name as part of trying to define the identity that I’ve discovered to be true in me. And yet, what’s in a name? Juliet says a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Clearly I don’t have all this figured out and the answers to these questions of identity are complex and nuanced, but I do know this….my truest self and identity are defined not by how I feel or what people say, or even what I’ve done, but the creator defines the creation.

If you happen to be like me, posing deep questions to your soul about who you are, consider good ol’ Marge. The way she addressed me as Mr. McDonald didn’t mean I had earned that title, but she saw that as my deeper identity that I hadn’t even grasped yet. I wasn’t living up to a name of respect but to her that didn’t matter. She saw me for who I was created to be, and that carried more weight than my immature and disrespectful behavior. You may have unanswered questions about your identity, but I would suggest you start with this, “God, who do you say that I am?” He may give you a new name. He may reveal something honorable and noble about your character. Maybe he just wants you to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are. The thing I’m certain of is that God knows us better than we know ourselves. There is room for you to grow, to change, to develop into your truest self and become all that you were created to be. And in all of this questioning, searching, and struggle, I hope you know you are truly loved in whatever stage of your journey you happen to be in.