A New Name

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.” Revelation 2:17

 

 

How are your gardening skills? Do you have a beautiful landscape in your yard that shines bright with evergreens framing your garden bed, Spring-colored bulbs blossoming in the sunlight, and brightly colored shrubs lacing themselves throughout your grounds?

 

To be honest with you, I know nothing about gardening. I know nothing about plants in general. I literally just had to google what kind of plants would be in a garden! But one thing I do know about is weeds. We’ve had a ton of weeds in our flowerbeds (they definitely lend a hand to the lack of my gardening abilities), and they are so annoying. No matter how hard you try to manage them, they seem to take root and take over everything trying to grow in the midst of them.

 

A few summers ago, I tried to rid ourselves of our little weed problem. I was determined to clean our entire bed of them. So, I got to work. I began pulling weeds one by one. After a while, I had a nice-sized pile. And, to show you how little I know about gardening, I saw the pile of weeds sitting there uprooted and seemingly dead and figured there wasn’t much harm they could do. So, I threw the pile in the back of the flowerbed and tucked them neatly behind our bushes. Boom, go me! Mission accomplished. The weeds were pulled. I didn’t have to bag them or get rid of them. They were tucked neatly away, the bed was cleared, and from the front of the yard, everything looked neat and tidy. And for a while, it was, until Spring came around.

 

When Spring came, however, the weather started to heat up, and the rain fell and gave nourishment to the seeds that had fallen off the weeds, and those weeds rooted and began to re-sprout. One morning I walked out of my front door to a flower bed filled with weeds. Tiny little seeds had fallen off the weeds left behind and had taken over everything trying to grow in the midst of them.

 

Shame is a lot like weeds.

 

Shame is that uncomfortable feeling you feel in the pit of your stomach when it seems you have no safe place from the judgment of others. Shame makes you feel humiliated, disgusting, and exposed all at the same time. It will have you believing that you are nothing more than what you’ve done or what’s been done to you. Shame will tell you that you are so far gone even God can’t use you. When shame enters your life, you want nothing more than to run from it, hide from it, or try to cover it up.

 

See, shame will tell you that your identity has been ruined. It will make you believe you will always be worthless, even unlovable. In turn, you do all you can to try to redeem your identity. You perform to gain your worthiness. You keep things looking neat and tidy on the surface while hiding your shame in the back of your flower bed, afraid of the judgment that comes with having them exposed.

 

But, when pressure comes, and the heated points of life begin to rise, and the raindrops of this sorrowful world begin to fall, it nourishes the seeds of shame that we’ve tried to keep neatly tucked away, and that shame sprouts and grows, taking over every inch of our lives. It begins to change our behavior and the way we interact with others. It affects how we view God and how we view ourselves. When we reach this point in our shame, nothing can grow and flourish in the midst of it.

 

Friend, the enemy wants to keep you here. He wants to keep you surrounded by your shame. He wants to keep you captive by your past, your hurts, and your sin because he can keep a grip on you there. He shows no mercy, no grace, and if he can keep you doubting your worth, then he’ll keep you doubting God’s grace.

 

But, through Jesus, you don't have to doubt your worth - you can find it in Him. Through Jesus, you aren’t withheld from God’s grace, and your lack of belief in being forgiven will never make you any less forgiven. Here’s the thing about God’s grace, you can’t be good enough to earn it, and you’re never bad enough to be disqualified from it. God holds us each accountable for our sins, but He doesn’t let our sins define us. Instead, He offers us forgiveness, mercy, and grace when we confess our past, our hurts, and our sins to Him.

 

Confession uproots the weeds that want to grow in the hidden places. It releases the shame that want to take control of your life. It brings you into the freedom and rest of God’s forgiveness, and God’s forgiveness covers your shame once and for all.

 

Scripture tells us that when we come to Jesus, He forgives us. He takes off our dirtiness, our rags of sin, and wraps us up in clothes made of white. It tells us He gives us a crown of life, a new name, and a new identity. It tells us that He writes your name in the Book of Life and will never erase it. It also tells us that Jesus Himself professes your name before God and all of His angels – not the name shame wants to make you believe you have but the name He has given you.

 

Friend, don’t allow the enemy to keep you captive in your shame. God has given you new clothes of white, a crown of life, a new name, and a new identity. Your name is written in His book of Life, and it will never be erased because Jesus professes your name before God and angels.

 

You longer have to live in the weeds of shame because there is no room for shame when you’re filled with God’s love.

 

-Brittany