Casandra Martin

“I have changed my name,” our four-year-old friend announced. He explained that he had decided that a new name would better represent his super powers. He had adventures to explore, evil to destroy, and villains to fight so a new name was in order. For the rest of the day, he refused to be called anything else.

He was serious about his new identity. He didn’t come unless we called him by his new name. When he phoned his big friend at college, he patiently explained his new identification. He rolled his eyes when someone forgot and slipped back into old habits. Nothing but his new designation would do.

In my little friend’s insistence, God taught me a lesson. Buried in Christ, claimed by His blood, I too have a new name. Where once I was sinner, now I am saint. Once I was darkness, but now I am light. Once I stood outside of God’s household. Now I am a part of His family, the child of His heart, His beloved.

Too many times, however, I try to hang on to my old identity. I let the world lure me back by responding to my old name. I don’t hang onto my new identity as tightly as I should. I let the world tell me that I can go back and forth, playing with the old while walking in the new.

I need to follow my little’s friend’s example. He was insistent and persistent about his new name. He refused to respond to the old. He took the time to explain his new identity to those not in the know. He understood that his new name represented a new power at work in his story. I need to understand the same thing.

My Jesus Resolution today is live according to my new identity in Christ. I have a new name because of Jesus. It holds within it new possibilities, new purpose, and new beginnings. I don’t want to get drawn back into all the baggage that is attached to my old name. I am going to gently explain to those that don’t know how I came to get my new name. I am not going to settle for anything less than the name given to me by my Father.