No Sweeter Name

I just want to take a minute to reflect on a name.

It's a name that many ridicule.
A name that some may roll their eyes when hearing.
A name that, while bitter on the lips of the world, tastes so sweet when you use it properly.

It's a name that means King.
A name that redeems.
A name that even in my lowest moments, makes me take a breath again.

It's a name that saves.

It is a name that is capitalized and even put in red in a certain book.

It is a name that can be taken in vain.

It is a name that teaches, disciplines and replenishes.

It is a name that is breath, death, life and resurrection.

A name that displays grace, mercy, power, love and above all else...

A name that... is just a name until you know what it means.

Jesus.

"so teach us to number our days, that we may grow in wisdom."

Teach me to number my days so that I may learn from You always.

Names mean a lot to me. I connect them to ones I know.

Names can mean love, adoration, inspiration - even - pain, hurt, sorrow.

But names are nothing without a connection.

My children will have strong names. But it will be up to me as a mother, my husband as the father and God as the King and the child his/herself to give that name a meaning from the time they are born.

But no matter what name I give my son, or I give my daughter, for example a name from the Bible, they will never be that particular person.

Why do we name our children after the ones before us?
Because of the qualities they possessed.

Just because a name is capitalized, bold, italicized, underlined, said a million times, rebuked, praised...

known...

Does not make that person a name.

There is power behind names.

You know what I love about Jesus the most?

Well, I can't say the most, because that would be a lie.
I love everything about Him honestly.

*cue eye roll*

Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.

And to do it without expectation of return.

Oh Jesus, that I may live my life like that.

Think about it, Jesus was anticipated. He was known from before his birth by more than just Mary and Joseph.

Many people in the time of his life as a human in the flesh had the same name.

But that same name did not mean the same thing.

Also in this time, women were not of significance in His particular culture.

Yet, Jesus did not come to perform miracles for men, but for the world.

Because of the way JESUS treated the women in His culture, people began to see women differently.

It wasn't Jesus standing on a podium demanding that certain laws and decrees would be abolished, it was how He loved on a daily basis.

He changed the atmosphere, one day at a time, by being consistent.

Jesus did not change the world around Him with His words, but with the actions that, even when the words failed to be enough for some, made the unbelievers see what they were hearing, and hear what they had been listening to.

Rob Bell once did a sermon study on the name Yahweh.

The most interesting thing about this name, is the way the people said it.

They removed the vowels, thus creating a name that was literally breaths of air every syllable.

How sweet...

Jesus was not given a name in order to breathe life, but the name itself became the breath of life.

Jesus has many names, heck there was a book written of the A-Z names given for Him within the Bible.

But in the midst of all of His names, there is one meaning. Eternity.

In the Bible, there is a woman who busts in the door of the house Jesus was staying, and without a word breaks to her knees and uses her hair to rub perfume on His feet.

"Ewww...."

No, you see... she had a name. She was known by a name that was given to her long ago. She didn't choose it. But in this act, she chose a different name. She chose to submit to His power, His love, His mercy...She had faith in Him.

You know what the title of her story is in the Bible?

Wordless Worship of an Unnamed Woman.

I love this.

Stick with me, I know there are a lot of names being thrown around here...

Earthly names rolling off the tongue will never be as sweet as His.

Why?

Because we do not save. We do not heal. We do not redeem.

He does. Through us.

And through our actions, that is when His name is either praised, or defiled.

When we die, we cannot say anything else to the people around us. But our actions will have lasting impact.

Now I am a firm believer that words are important, trust me, it's one of my top love languages.

And even the scriptures declare the "tongue hath the power of life and death."

So this does not mean that we can throw around words like they are nothing. What if our words were glass? Treat them as such.

But words must be followed with actions.
I look in the mirror when saying this.

When I was baptized, I took on a new name.

My name is Whitney, as most of you know.
And yes, I was named after Whitney Houston.
Thanks mom and dad.
Also...

The name Whitney means White Island.

Now, if I lived out where my name originated or the definition it has been given by default, honestly... where would that get me?

I think it's pretty obvious.

But I have a new name now.

It's God's daughter.

When i worship, pray, serve...
No one needs to see me, no one needs to hear me.

Sounds hypocritical because of social media and obviously my blog, but please don't get me wrong.. It is necessary to share what God does through you, not what you do through God.

"What do you mean?"

Anyone can say words. Few can show it.

Take the wedding band for example.
It is actually a symbol that was started by the pagan gods.

Now, do I believe in wedding bands? Yes, of course. It is a symbol of an unconditional love commitment.

But, I want to have a marriage where if we took off our wedding bands for some reason, we would still have a marriage that lit the darkness. No jealousy, no doubt, no fear, no shame..

Those wedding bands do not bind us.

If I had my name taken away, I would still want to be a being that lit the darkness no matter what i was labeled, or.. the lack there of.

My name does not bind me.

Your name does not bind you.

His name frees us.

God and man is a marriage.
Two humans coming together for the greater glory is a team.
A team that fist bumps and says alright, because of the God in you and the God in me who are the same, we're going to let Him lead us, and be HIS hands and feet together so that we may put 10,000 to flight instead of 1,000 alone.

If you believe in Christ, and do not understand a marriage with Him first and foremost, you will not ever grasp marriage with the treasure He has given you to help you through this temporary life.

It's easy to walk with two feet, but learning to run with four is a whole other ball game.

God does not need you to want Him. He wants you to need Him.

I pray to lose my name, so that His is all people see, hear, feel...

Know.


"I would rather approach the Throne someday bloody, beaten, bruised and nearly forgotten having done all I could do to advance the Kingdom up until my last breath, rather than primped, pressed and ready to impress with a resume of all the good things I have done. That is ministry."

There is No Sweeter Name.