Name Calling

Name Calling

This past month, I’ve been called a lot of names; cheeky, disrespectful, stuck-up just to name a few…

Feels like arrows shot straight to my heart. Granted, they were trying to ‘correct’ my mistakes but the thing about correction is the manner in which it’s done determines 80% of the response.

But that’s a conversation for another day..

The reason for this rant dear Young Millenial Christian, is that in your lifetime, you will be called some names.

I dare say, everyone you meet in life will have a name for you, it’s called perception.

And clearly most people fail at drawing the line between perception and identity. Again, a topic for another day.😏😇

But you will be called names. You tell one lie, you will be called a liar, you repeat certain actions over a period of time, it becomes your identity. That’s how it works; especially in Ghana.

The issue is though it may be true that you’ve lived like a liar, thief, adulterer, people always get stuck with that identity. And they make sure it follows you for the rest of your life; whether you change or not.

Is it right? Barely. But that’s just the way it is. Perception. Impression.Character.

Society has its own metrics. 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Back to me, so when I received those comments, my natural reaction was indifference (just because of who I am😏, don’t worry saints, I’m working on it🙏🏾)

But honestly, after the words stung, I narrated the story to a couple of friends to draw sympathy, found comfort for my bruised ego, and then brushed it off. Done!

Why??

Is it because I’m actually lowkey cheeky and disrespectful like they said?

Nah fam!

It’s because…. ( dramatic drumroll please 🤗)

… it’s because hunny!!! I’ve called myself worse names!! 😇

Truth is dear YMC, no conversation superceeds the one you have with yourself. External perceptions hurt the most when they align with your internal dialogue!!!

We have a tendency to align our actions and circumstances with our identity, just like people do for us. So what you failed once? You decide to think yourself a failure. It will hurt when someone else calls you a failure.

Our internal dialogue matters. Knowing who we are regardless of our actions and circumstances, that’s where it really starts…

Isaiah 57 caught my eye.

Summary for the first 13 verses is, God calls out the sinful actions of the Israelites;

• the fertility gods they worship
• their illicit sexual behaviors
• their love for idols (i.e wrong use of social media in our time ☕️)
• their extravagance and materialistic tendencies

Isaiah is able to convey the heart of God concerning the state of the people and let’s just say, Daddy wasn’t pleased.

But in verse 14, ‘The Lord says, ‘Let my people return to me. Remove every obstacle from their path! Build the road, and make it ready!’

Wait, did y’all get that??

He said let MY people! ☹️

Like, wait, God still considered them His????!!! Really??

People who literally partook in modern day juju, sleeping with each other in front of trees , offering their children as sacrifices (vrs 5)    And He calls them His??

If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is!!!

He was blasting them, warning them of the consequences of their actions but their identity never changed!! They were His. We are His.

This isn’t cliché dear YMC, God’s love is constant and nothing can separate you from it. So stop separating yourself in your mind. When there’s an issue, address the issue, don’t identify with it.

Stop thinking of yourself less than who you really are!                                                           Don’t be like the prodigal son’s elder brother. Present but not aware of your place and privilege.

Do you lie? Yes! But you’re God’s child. That means you have the power to live in the light of God. You are truthful. You are holy. You are righteous. You are beautiful. You are worthy.

Granted, your actions can be described as desrespectul, that can be worked on. Submit your heart more and watch your actions conform to love. But don’t align with inner conversations of being unworthy, a failure etc.

A name or identity is like a prison. You’ll be stuck in that identity because a name is like a prophecy. Remember how our old boy Jabez had to beg for his name to be changed??

So stop aligning with people’s perception of you. Stop aligning with your negative internal dialogue.

Let’s flip the names shall we?                          how about we start calling ourselves the right names. Names depicting who we really are;

Children of God.

Blessed

Beautiful

Powerful

Rich

Kind

Loving

Patient

Successful

Worthy

All the names Jesus be calling us, how about we start speaking those ones to ourselves. Then maybe we can easily brush off the external ones when they don’t align.

And then, maybe, an internet troll’s voice won’t hurt that much.

I’m just saying… 🤷🏾‍♀️

What’s your name?

What do you call yourself?

~ Sheyla ~