Changing Our Name

“My grace is enough. It’s all you need.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 MSG)

I’ve been thinking about Naomi this morning, how she left her country full and came back empty. She felt so marked by her experiences in exile that she was compelled to change her name, an outward signal to let her community know that she was made different by life’s subtractions. I wonder if we can relate?

“But she said, “Don’t call me Naomi, call me Bitter. The Strong One has dealt me a bitter blow. I left here full of life and came back with nothing but the clothes on my back.” (Ruth 1:20 MSG)

Naomi suffered from a bad attitude but it was understandable. She had lost a lot. It must have felt like her life was over: no husband, no sons, no grandchildren, no physical resources. Only a stubborn, foreign daughter-in-law still in the infancy of her faith. Naomi did not know Paul’s scripture because it hadn’t yet been written, but she was about to discover its truth. God’s grace was enough and He was readying to rebuild her life. He would restore the things that mattered most: love and belonging.

Maybe you’ve found yourself back in old territory, but you are realizing you’ve changed. Like Naomi, the subtractions of life have left you feeling empty. Are you considering changing your name? Don’t do it. ‘Bitter’ suits no one. Instead, flip ahead through the brief pages of Ruth and find the part where the Strong One shows Himself faithful. See for yourself where He reunites Naomi and Ruth with their Kingsman Redeemer and the whole story takes a turn towards wholeness. Not the part where Naomi sits in the center of her community with her arms full of the future and they call her ‘blessed’.

“The town women said to Naomi, “Blessed be God! He didn’t leave you without a family to carry on your life! Naomi took the baby and held him in her arms, cuddling him, cooing over him, waiting on him hand and foot.”
(Ruth 4:14a,15 MSG)

Let’s borrow from Naomi’s story today. Let’s believe together that life won’t always be bitter, so hold off on changing your name. No matter how today smarts on the tongue, we still have a Kingsman Redeemer and He’s dispensing hope right now, in the darkest hours. He will restore all things and one day, we too, will sit in the center of community with our hands and hearts full of the future.

Lord, thank You for sufficient grace for today. Help us to hold on to You when we are ready to change our name. May we borrow from Naomi’s restoration but also from Your promises of restoration. You are making all things new, even us. We hang on to Your word and keep making our way toward You, toward wholeness. Amen.