A New Name

In the past 24 hours, I've had two conversations that have reminded me of this devotional I wrote many years ago. In it, I reflect on the new identity God gave me (as He does with every adopted child in His family) when He brought me to Jesus at the age of 24. 

To him who overcomes, I will also give...
A NEW NAME
(Jesus, Revelation 2:17)

In the Old Testament, God calls a person to Him and then changes his name — Jacob is renamed Israel ("wrestles with God"); Abram’s new name is Abraham ("father of many peoples").

In Hebrew culture, a person’s name defines the person. While my name is still Heidi, God’s call changed my identity as much as if God had changed my name, too.

I remember it so clearly. I was 24 years old, and I had just returned home from a Christian retreat. Something was very different in me. I didn’t recognize what it was at the time, but somehow, God had opened my eyes that weekend to what was in the Bible.

I read it, as I had done for years, and it suddenly was alive with meaning; Jesus seemed to leap off the pages, declaring Himself to be God’s true Son, who could transform my life, if only I would listen to Him, trust  Him, follow Him.

This change had profound practical implications. Until then, I had been living in reaction to my experiences with my family. You see, my parent’s divorce had led me to the conviction that I would never marry and CERTAINLY never have children! Making such a commitment with possible heartbreak in the future seemed so foolish to me. I set my mind on my career and "played the field," looking for only what would satisfy me at the present time.

But my identity was no longer shaped by the family I’d been born into. Instead, the primary influence was God Himself, the One who made me, and the One I lived for.

I was a member of His family now. I was no longer a "child of divorce" or even a pianist or a writer or a social worker, or any of the other things that had previously defined me in my own eyes. No, all these things paled in comparison to my relationship to God, and those things which had previously "defined" me became ways to serve God: I played piano and sang in church; I wrote articles for a Christian newspaper; I taught others about God and self through the Bible instead of trying to teach them about themselves through psychology.

I no longer feared following in my parents’ footsteps... I had new footsteps to follow in, and I knew that the One who led me would also give me the strength and grace to love a husband "till death do us part" and to raise children to serve God, too.

Many today believe that their past determines their future, that a "dysfunctional" childhood will likely lead to "dysfunctional" relationships in adulthood. In their minds, identity depends upon dealing with a past that cannot be altered. But my identity was made new when I became a child of the living God, and nothing can overshadow or remove the name He has given me.

My name is still Heidi — but don’t let that fool you! For my God has given me a new name.