Isaiah 43:1

I think I’ve shared this before:

It’s a small piece that my awesome mom did. I photocopied it and have taped it by my bedside so that when I wake up in the morning I see it. But sometimes seeing something all the time makes it become ordinary.

Living in Colorado, by the Front Range, means we are always aware of the mountains towering just a few miles west of us, but sometimes we forget about them, and forget to really look at them and stand in awe and their size and beauty. Once when my parents visited us we went to the grocery store and when we came out, my dad stopped still and said, “Wow, what a great view of the mountains!” And it is true, we have an awesome view of the mountains from the front of the grocery store, but I walk in and out of that place all the time and usually forget that they are there because I’ve gotten used to seeing them.

Last night as I lay awake in bed for a few hours after being up with Asher for a bit (poor guy is cutting a tooth), the lyrics, “I am my redeemers and he is mine, His banner over me is love,” flitted through my head, and called this verse to mind.

I am not my own, I have been bought with a price. The concept of freedom from sin yet bondage to Christ can be so confusing sometimes. I think it is best illustrated by some of the stories in the Bible where God changes a person’s name. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, Saul to Paul, etc. This is such an important thing, yet it is glossed over so easily. Each of these individuals underwent a distinct change in their identity and how they were to relate to the world and God, and to reflect this, their name was changed. When I was married, my name changed, because a fundamental part of my identity changed. I was no longer single, but married. Paul was no longer an enemy of Christ, but a servant of his. Abram became the father of many nations and swore obedience to God, and so He became Abraham. When a person’s name changes, it is often because a major part of who they are has changed, and the name reflects that change.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.

I have summoned you by name.

You are mine.

I am no longer Megan the Sinner, but Megan the Saint. And whether I can live up to this new name is not for me to judge. Did Paul deserve a new name after all he had done? God thought he did, and so God thinks I do as well. He summons me by the name He gave me, and asks me to continue in service to Him, because I belong to Him. He created me, redeemed me, and is sanctifying me. I am His. And because He is good, I have nothing to fear. We have nothing to fear.

This is so important because I’ve forgotten what it means to be saved. It became so common place, that I thought I had to do all these things to maintain it. Being redeemed or being saved is a status, not a process. My mood, emotional twists and turns, mistakes, failings, and behavior don’t affect this status. Can I lose my salvation? Yes. But that is a very deliberate act. Right now, I am struggling with my sin and with my circumstances, but that doesn’t mean I am back to being Megan the sinner. It means I have forgotten that I don’t have to be afraid, because my Master is a good master who loves me, and is continually calling me back to where He wants me to be. I belong to Him, and He's not going to give me up. Amen.