A New Name

So many times in the Bible, when God calls someone to do His bidding, He gives them a new name. Abram and Sarai become Abraham and Sarah. Saul becomes Paul, Jacob becomes Israel, Simon became Peter and the list goes on and on! There are many reasons for these name changes and you'd have to ask a Biblical scholar for the real answers and historical meanings. The following are just my thoughts and personal musings.

So many times the name we begin with develops a strong metal box around us. We begin to feel trapped by the label we've created out of our name and have no way of breaking free. But God steps down into human form and sets us free from the invisible bondage with a simple sentence! Matt. 16:17-18, "Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter [which means rock], and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.'" Jesus simply said these words and Simon was transformed from a simple, clumsy teenager who never seemed to get it right to Peter, the new rock of the church.

In college, you get a fresh start. No one knows what your 'name' was in high school and it's a chance for you to start brand new. Sometimes you create your name by the things you do with friends and how you spend your free time, sometimes you create your new name based on your major or strongest talents. And when the past that you used to depend on is gone, you cling to your new name as though it is all you have. This is fun for a while . . .

I recently escaped from the bondage of my name as a music major. My entire life began to wrap around this name that I had developed for myself. Yes, God has given me a gift of music and the type of soul that sometimes only communicates in music. And I am thankful for these things. However, God has given me much more! I am not just a music major. But that was my name. So all of the other gifts that were living within me got squashed down to the bottom and ignored. But now! I am not a music major anymore. I have been given a new name by the very Son of God. I am Johanna Jean, Program Director. Fortunately, "Program Director" is a very broad name. It means a whole lot of stuff, and that excites me! I will not be stuck just planning programs or just leading games for summer camp. I get to do a variety of things and use ALL of the gifts God has given me.

One time I asked my mother why she named me Johanna. It's not really a family name and it's definitely not a popular name. She said that when I was born, I just looked like a Johanna. In Hebrew, Johanna means "Gift of God". It is also a feminine form of John which means, "God is Gracious". My middle name is Jean, which is a Scottish form of Jane which is also a feminie form of John. So all together, my name means, "Gift of God" and "God is very Gracious."

God has indeed been very gracious to me. I inevitably manage to find myself in the middle of a big patch of thorns with no way out. Before I even have a chance to ask, God has cleared a path in the right direction for me until I absent-mindedly wander off into a whole new patch of thorns. I also know that to whom much is given, much is expected. God has been gracious to me and I know that it is my turn to share this with those around me. I have no doubt that my counselors and campers this summer will provide ample opportunities for me to practice being gracious. My prayer is that I will fully embrace these teachable moments and respond in such a way that people do not say, "Johanna is so gracious!" but rather, "God is gracious indeed!"