God Says I Am
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1
I recently wrote a post titled, “Fifteen Minute Pity Party” in which I stated:
And failure is not an adjective that describes us. Too often we slap that label on us and let it define us. We walk into a room and say, “Hi my name is Failure. Would you like a list now of all of my mess ups or should we wait until later.”
And then I found Matthew West’s song, “Hello, My Name Is,” which talks about labeling ourselves by our past and not who we are in Christ.
Check out his lyrics to ‘Hello, My Name is”
Hello, my name is regret
I’m pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I’m the whisper inside
That won’t let you forget
Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I’ll drag you right back down again
‘Til you’ve lost all belief
These are the voices, these are the lies
And I have believed them, for the very last time
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed,
And I have been set free
“Amazing Grace” is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I am no longer defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it’s true
Just take a look at my life
What love the Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called His children
I am a child of the one true King
Powerful!
His video is presented using the sticky labels we get at church and business events with room for us to fill in our name. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuJWQzjfU3o&list=TLBbi-8SsiHJbsRgJm6x_5SXkqE-1Lae8m
Our names come loaded, don’t they? When I write “Heidi” I too often define myself by what I once was or worse what I think I’m not, as opposed to seeing my true identity in Christ.
And I know I’m not the only one.
The truth is we aren’t defined by our past, our failures, our weakness, our inabilities. We are so much more than just what we aren’t. No we’re not all athletic or mathematically gifted. We all aren’t musical or good communicators. We all aren’t graceful or sweet-natured.
But we are all good at many things.
Society and the media do a fabulous job of showing us all that we aren’t, or what we don’t have, or worse, what they think we all should be.
The noise from all the negative voices in the world drowns out the voice of God who calls us by name. Isaiah 43:1 says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name, you are mine.”
1 John 3:1 says that we are called the children of God. All throughout the scriptures is the truth of what we are: redeemed, loved, forgiven, beautiful, wonderfully made, gifted, mighty, free, made on purpose for a purpose, worth dying for. All because of the lavish love of God and the incomprehensible sacrifice of Jesus Christ who bought us for a price.
So I decided to have fun at an event I was holding and then at church the following day. I propped up poster board, laid out colored markers, and wrote across the top “God says I am…”
Children, grandparents and all ages in between wrote words on the board. When I picked up the board I was delighted with words sprawled in big letters and those in tiny print. They were different and heart felt and purposeful.
People paused when they saw the board. Some thought longer than others. Many immediately picked up a marker and wrote. But all who wrote know what God says about them.
And don’t we know? But how often do we forget? We get caught in the trap of negative talk and self-doubt and forget God’s truth.
So I challenge you to put up poster board in your house, label it “God Says I Am” and every time you and your family and friends walk past, write the first thing that comes to mind. If you struggle, pray and ask God to remind you. He will.
And put up a poster board in your church or other public place and encourage people to write their words on it. You’ll have fun reading what they wrote.
God says I am something special. When I write my name I want it to be loaded with how God sees me. Don’t you?
God says I am….
