Jeremiah 10:6
No one is like you, O LORD; you are great,
and your name is mighty in power.
It was so fun to watch all of the girls on Olivia’s basketball team as they met the University of Kentucky players and were able to get most of the teams’ autographs.
I especially fell in love with this picture which captured Olivia with her eyes closed and mouth smiling as her shirt was being signed by yet another one of her basketball heroes……
Autographs amaze me.
Watching the girls get their shirts signed, their posters signed, their basketballs signed, I couldn’t help but notice the joy and anticipation as they patiently stood in line until the next player was ready to share their name in written form.
My mind wandered, as it often does…….
Where is the power in a person’s signature?
Why do we love to own something that has been autographed?
When someone is considered famous and/or super-talented, fans will often pay high prices to own ANYTHING that bears the person’s signature! Because of this, there are actually websites dedicated to helping you not be “tricked” into purchasing something with a fake autograph.
For our family, receiving Tony Shaloub’s (aka Monk) and Chuck Norris’ autographed pictures were both exciting days!
Nick loved these men so much! Their framed pictures sit proudly on the shelf over Nick’s bed! They are meaningful to us because they bear the celebrities’ names in their own handwriting!
But what is it about a name?
I have to think that Shakespeare was sharing this same question when he wrote Juliet’s famous lines,
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
And then I look to Scripture, the history book of all history books, and the very Word of God….
and I realize that the power of a name started “In the beginning……”
Jeremiah says, “Your name is mighty in power.”
Today we pray in Jesus’ name.
We sing, “No other name but the name of Jesus…”
In Old Testament times, children were given names that had deep meaning. Many times God actually changed people’s names when He called them to a life of service to Him.
When we give our lives over to God through the acts of repentance, confession, and baptism, we are given the name Christian.
God has high expectations for those who choose to wear the name of His Son Jesus Christ.
So, looking back at the picture of Olivia as she proudly chooses to “wear” the name of one of her basketball role models, I have to wonder…………..
Am I always that happy to wear the name of my role model?
Following Jesus and wearing the name “Christian” aren’t always easy. It means “putting others first, not always getting my way, forgiving others even when I’m hurt, loving those who are sometimes difficult to love, choosing joy when bitterness seems so much easier, finding peace in the midst of a storm….”
Yes, having the privilege of wearing Jesus’ name comes at a high price.
But we can be sure that what we are getting is in no way fake.
Jesus is the genuine article!
He is the One and Only!
There has never been and will never be a greater man or a greater name than the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
So when I’m struggling to find that eye-closed, mouth-smiling pose as I choose to wear the name of Christ, I hope I will always remember this picture of Olivia and embrace the honor of Jesus’ name being written on my heart.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus………
There’s just something about that name.