names

Winter.  It gives us reminders of the ebb and flow of God's world and that in some ways our lives resemble these rhythms.  Times of dormancy, times of growth.  Seasons can bring out our greatest fears and our most robust celebrations.  But in all seasons, around every corner God knows our names.  He knows our name because he named us.  He calls us by name.  He doesn't call us by the names we've grown accustomed to.  Names that we can give ourselves out of our own deficits.  The ones that seemed so appropriate because they fit our temporary circumstances.  Names we've discovered in the midst of our failures.  The prophet Isaiah reveals God's name for his people, "My delight is in her" (Isa. 62).  Isaiah's words grab our attention: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you" (Isa. 43).  Everyday we wake up to a world that can shake us down and undo us.  Pausing to listen to God's voice reminds us that even though we live in a context where things fall apart and people forget people, He remembers us.  It's part of the redeeming work of our Lord. And this is no mere remembrance, it comes with delight.  I believe contemplating on the delight God has for us breaks down the threads of confusion and surrounds us with the clarity of truth:  God wants to be near his children. He takes delight in us because that's who God is.  And when we let this truth rest on our souls it changes us.  Even in winter, we learn to move about with faith and patience because the warmth of God's nearness causes our false names to melt away.