A New Name
The other day I was walking around Lebanon visiting some individuals and I saw a lady walking my way. I said, “Hello, Rose, how are you today?” She never missed a beat. “Didn’t you hear? I changed me name. I am no longer Rose, my legal name is ‘Amanda’” (name changed to protect her privacy). I didn’t really know what to say as I had never encountered a situation like that before. I simply told her that was a nice name. But she wasn’t done yet. Amanda told me, “Rose represented my old life and all of the baggage that I had in the past, I wanted free of that.”
While I don’t think that you need to legally change your name to get over your past, she was celebrating her new life. And she thought her new life was best summarized with a new name.
That reminds me of an old gospel song title “A New Name in Glory”.
There’s a new name written down in glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine!
And the white robed angels sing the story,
“A sinner has come home.”
For there’s a new name written down in glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine!
With my sins forgiven I am bound for Heaven,
Never more to roam.
My prayer today is that we will be passionate about the new life that God offers to all.
Or as I have heard some Calvinists say in reference to Arminian doctrine, “There’s a new name written down in pencil….”
In all seriousness, though, that is an awesome story! I think it’s amazing how she so wanted to embrace her new life that she went further than most Christians in taking on a completely new identity in Christ. It’s taking “new creation” and “rebirth” to a whole new level!
Thanks, Allen!