This morning, while scrolling through Facebook, I came across a lighthearted question: What things — not people or pets — do you make up names for? The answers were both fun and baffling. Cars. Roombas. GPS voices. Fishing rods. Coffee makers. One person even named their sourdough starter.
Why do we name inanimate objects? I did see, in the naming, at least one common thread. These are things we interact with. Things that matter to us. Things that accompany us through daily life. And that got me thinking.
If we are prone to naming objects that take up space in our lives, what does that mean when it comes to placing names on ourselves?
The problem is, often the names we give ourselves are far less kind.
Failure. Not enough. Less than. Unlovable. Disappointment.
We craft these labels over the years and, hard as we try, we can’t seem to fully let go of them. Sometimes they date back to childhood moments. Sometimes, to a single harsh comment. Sometimes, from comparisons to others (not realizing that those others are engaged in their own comparisons). Over time, those names stick. They begin to feel permanent. Defining. True.
But Scripture tells a different story about naming. In Isaiah 43:1, the Lord says: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.”
Notice the intimacy. God doesn’t shout labels at us. He calls us by name. And in the Bible, a name is never accidental. A name speaks identity, belonging, and purpose.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God also declares: “You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.” (Isaiah 62:2).
A new name. When God renames someone, it means something important. Abram becomes Abraham. Jacob becomes Israel. Simon becomes Peter. The new name signals a new identity, a new future, and, most of all, a new, deeper relationship with God. You have a new name coming. I don’t know what it will be, but God will choose it especially for you ,,, and it won’t be one of those limiting labels.
Christ also has some names for us. Beloved. Child of God. God’s workmanship. New creation.
None of these are rooted in shame. None are defined by our worst moments. None are labels other people try to put on us.
Perhaps the question for us this morning is this: What names have I been answering to that God never gave me and that God doesn’t want for me?
When we name our Roombas or cars, we do it playfully. But when we name ourselves, it comes from another place. A darker place. A more judgmental place.
But remember this. You are not the label born of your worst day. You are not the sum of others’ expectations. You are not the quiet accusation looping in your mind. You are the one God calls his own.
Whatever name God speaks will not confine you. It will free you. It will not shrink your future. It will open it. It will not rehearse your failures. It will declare your belonging.
You are a child of God. Made in God’s image. Worthy. Redeemed. Loved. You belong.
Prayer: Gracious God, I’ve so often spoken of myself in words you have never spoken. I’ve believed less about myself and forgotten that you created me in your image and claimed me as your own. Help me hear your voice above all others. Give me the courage to let go of the limiting names I have carried and see myself the way you see me. Let me see myself … and others … through your lens of limitless love and grace. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
