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The Power of Names

by Erin Diesel

You were born, and your parents named you. Immediately, they named you to claim you as their own.

You were little and your parents got you a goldfish for a pet. Immediately, you named that goldfish to claim it as your own.

You entered school and learned all the names of your friends, just as they all learned yours. Learning their names was important to you, because when calling them by their names, you claimed them as your friends. You proved to them that they were special enough, important enough, for you to remember them.

Learning names isn't easy. Learning names takes time, effort, and often runs the risk of calling someone by the wrong name. But despite all these reasons why it might be easier to just sit back and say "hey you", the simple act of calling someone by their name is the foundation of a friendship.

What a scary world it would be if God never learned anyone's name; if God simply sat back and called everyone, "hey you." But no -- God knows us. He knows each and every one of us -- and He calls us each by name.

For when God calls our name, he claims us as his own.

My prayer is that, in our schools and in our youth groups, we will all call each other by name -- to claim each other as friends.

Life Applications:

How good are you at remembering names?
How do you feel when someone forgets your name? Why?
How do you feel when someone remembers your name? Why?

Copyright 2003 by Erin Diesel
All rights reserved.