She Calls Our Names

I was riding copilot on the way to the kids’ school this morning with my fifteen-year-old son behind the wheel.  I must be getting more relaxed with that reality because my mind was able to actually think about something other than the road and all the other crazy drivers.  We were sitting at a stoplight, and my daughter, who we adopted in March, was in the backseat reciting the names of everyone she knows- something she does quite often.  “Mommy, Daddy, Bennen, Gamma, Mommy, Daddy, Ella, Mommy…”  It could be that she doesn’t know very many words and just likes to talk, but, like I said, I was actually relaxed enough to let my thoughts wander to a more contemplative state.

I asked Brennen, “Do you think Milena might like to recite the names of everyone she knows because when she lived in the orphanage, she didn’t have anyone that was ‘her own’?”  The thought just pierced my heart. I can just imagine her telling the world, “And this is my mom, and this is my dad, and these are my brothers, and this is my sister…”

Before, there was no one that was her very own, and now she has a long list of people that love her and call her their own.  She is our daughter, our sister, our granddaughter, our niece, our cutie… and we are hers.

This thought pierced me because it struck a very real chord. WE ALL WANT TO BE KNOWN.  We want to call others by their names and be called by ours.

Where does this longing to belong, to know and be known, come from?  I believe God put it in us when He created us… built in to pull us back to Him.  We were created to function in community and to respond to personal relationships.  Can you imagine building an intimate or meaningful relationship with someone but never knowing their name? What attachment and warmth can be found in anonymity?

The dictionary defines “anonymous” as being without any name acknowledged, being of unknown name, or lacking individuality, unique character, or distinction.  The truth is that even in the best of circumstances, when we are experiencing significant relationship with at least one other person, we can still feel lonely.  Like there is something missing or that there are parts of us that remain unknown or misunderstood.  It can create a shadow of anonymity.  What is that all about??

John 10:2-4 talks about Jesus as our Shepherd. “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

We were create to know God.  We are already known by Him.  HE KNOWS YOUR NAME.  You are not anonymous to Him- you are an individual with unique character and distinction.  Relationships with people are a beautiful thing… but no person can touch the depths of my soul.  Only the One who created me fully understands who I am.  Can I release my loved ones from the expectation that I might be holding them to?  Will Milena be able to release us?  We are the shadow of God, who is ultimately calling her name.  As she recites our names, her soul is rehearsing what it feels like to be truly known and perfectly loved.

What an incredible and beautiful honor to be the ones who are cracking open the door of her heart to the Great Name-Caller. What a privilege to be seed planters in her life.

You are known.  You are loved.  You are called by name.