By Any Other Name

When my dad prays before a meal, he will most likely begin with, "Heavenly Father". For as long as I can remember, he has always addressed God in prayer with a personal and specific name.

I, on the other hand, have tended to stick with "Dear God" or "Dear Lord". I never wondered why for too long. If I'm honest with myself, I was uncomfortable using anything else. It felt cheesy. It didn't ring true.

If God is Jesus and Jesus is God, then what difference did it make what name I used?

But I think I understand better now.

Giving something a name makes it personal. Once you name it, you've created a relationship, however superficial. This is why I always hated it when the Thanksgiving turkey was referred to as Tom. I know that male turkeys are indeed called toms but to me it was like christening him as a family member and then eating him for supper.

Back to Jesus. 

God created us a relational beings. To bring this point home -- directly into our homes and into our hearts -- he sent his only son, Jesus. God didn't need to do it. But Word was made flesh so that we might understand God's love for us; not just 'us' as a whole but each and every individual.

God wants to be in relationship with us. Enter Jesus. He was a man who breathed, ate, slept and loved. He suffered, died and rose from the dead to conquer sin and death. For me. For you.

These days people seem to be uncomfortable with the idea of a specific God. They're happy with a nameless supreme being up above. Because acknowledging Jesus as my Savior means relationship. It means spending time with him on a daily basis. It means feeling bad when I haven't. You might say, "Well, what kind of God would make you feel guilty? What kind of relationship is that?" I would say that any relationship worth having takes time and energy. And when I know for a fact that I've let my marriage slide or when I haven't spoken with one of my sisters in awhile, I feel bad. I make an effort to set things back on track again.

A nameless supreme being doesn't expect anything of you. It doesn't love you and it doesn't not love you.

Jesus loves me and makes me want to be the best version of myself he has created me to be.

So next time I pray I will take the time choose the name of God that speaks to our personal relationship.