"A man's need for validation is one of his most desperate longings. Until we have that validation, we live with an uncertainty down deep inside. As men, we need to know who we truly are, and what we are destined to become."
A lot of the focus I've had over the past few years, and very intentionally for the past few months, is the discovery of my true name. This isn't the name given to me by my parent's when I was born, after all, they didn't know anything about me at that moment. This isn't the name, or names, that the world tries to bestow on us either. Instead, I'm after who God says I am, and I believe that this name is discovered through the healing God desires to give us, and through the battle He has called us to fight.
In Revelation 2.17, the Bible talks about a new name, written on a white stone, that is given to those who overcome. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it."
This is your true name, the name God knows you by. God knows what He created you for. He knows the potential you have, because He is the one who has give you that potential. This name is not the one your parent's gave you. It is not based on your education or profession. It is not dictated by your successes or failures. This name reflects your true calling, and it bestows your true identity.
God heals, God calls, and God renames. God validates.
This is the name that I want, God's name for me. A name that speaks of destiny. A name that is not impacted by failures, or successes, but that impacts every aspect of my life. This is the name I want all of my brothers, and every man I have the opportunity to disciple, to discover.
When I think about the true name this scene from Gladiator always comes to my mind:
This name speaks of who he really is, and what he is here to do. It is a name bestowed by a loving father, validated through battle, and declaring his mission. I want a name like that. A name that is not shaken or questioned during hardship and trials, but gives focus and the strength to endure.
So how do we discover this name? For me, it has been a process of seeking healing, getting alone where God can speak, and paying attention to what He says in those times, and allowing Him to speak to my heart. I've noticed a consistent theme for about two and a half years, a theme everything keeps returning to. I believe that all of this combines for God to reveal who He made us to be.
Brothers, we must learn who we really are. It is because Maximus knows his name that he is able to do what he does. He has an identity and a destiny, and is able to embrace it. He does not spend his life seeking approval, or trying to prove himself; he lives because he knows his true name.
Who are you? Who does God say you are? What are you here for?
That is what your true name reveals.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
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