What’s in a Name (A Video Message from Jennifer Lee)
What labels and names do you wear? Are they true? Or are they lies that you’ve believed for far too long?
False names are like barbs that make fences around our hearts.
I’m posting today, via video message from my home.
And, I’m so delighted to announce that Erik Bledsoe, a gifted singer/songwriter from Nashville, has graciously allowed me to use his music in my video messages. Erik’s music ushers listeners straight into the presence of God.
(Subscribers, you can click here to view the video message over at Getting Down With Jesus.)
You can find more about Erik and his music here.
You can find Erik on iTunes here. (Or go to iTunes, and search for Erik Bledsoe.)
Also today, I’m guest-posting about false names over at my sweet friend Jennifer Ferguson’s blog. She’s hosting a series of stories from women who are trying to replace old names with new ones. Will you join me at Jennifer’s?
Have you come by to share you own God-Bumps story, or a divine encounter that can only be classified as a God-Incidence? Oh good. We’ve been waiting for you.
Grab a button here, affix it to your post, then come back and drop the direct URL to your post, below. We look forward to hearing your stories.
you speak such truth into our lives, sweet jennifer. thank you. and i would love to hear what your tattoo is of 🙂 how i hope to meet you in person someday, dear friend. xo
We are definitely meeting someday. In Heaven, yes, but hopefully sooner! xo
This is so beautiful, Jennifer! I have always been fascinated with names and God’s use of names and changed names with His people. You have done such a lovely job of pointing out how easy it is for us to take our names from the wrong places and how much better it is to be named by the One who created us and who knows our real name! Thank you for this!
Hi Shaunie! I’ve collected all sorts of bad names over the years. They just don’t fit.
This video was inspired by Jennifer Ferguson, who has begun a series called “Break the Tape” over at her blog, http://www.findingheaventoday.com. I am excited to hear how others are dealing with the false nametags they’ve worn over the years. Check out her series, if you have a chance. She’s publishing others’ stories for the next few weeks, I think.
Jennifer…great message…funny…I wrote of lies as well today…thanks for this place…it is a true blessing~
Oh cool! Another God-incidence! I’ll pop over and check out your post soon. Thanks for being here friend.
I love the picture of you in 3rd grade but your story about how you thought you were ugly just tore my heart. Not because I remember wearing the same label (because I did) but because I hear my daughter say, “Mom, do I look ugly?” Oh, that pierces my heart. And I wonder how much more it must pierce the heart of the Father when He hears us attaching these lies to our hearts.
Hey Jennifer!
First of all, let me thank you for really the inspiration behind this video … and for letting me share part of that story over at your place. It was good for me to remember where I’ve been, and where I’m still headed.
And regarding the ugly label … One of my daughters is going through that right now, too. And it breaks my heart. She is my mini-me, so I can almost feel the angst inside of her. It’s like she can’t even hear me when I tell her how pretty she is — inside and out.
I don’t know how you continue to come up with one quality blog after another, but honestly, sister, you rock.
Keep up the God work.
Lori, Thank you for the encouragement. You have no idea how much that means to me. Every time I post a video, I think I’m going to faint. So. Thank you. Really.
You need to stop it! Stop making me cry. Love you much, my friend. You are the apple of His eye. And you bless me.
Sandra,
Love you much(er) … and then to the moon and BACK, and Back AGAIN!! Sorry. It’s a habit here in the house between the girls and I who try to out-love the others’ love. 🙂
xo
We do that here, too! Grace will say, “I love you all the way to God and back.” Outdo that one! 🙂
No. I definitely can’t outdo that one. 🙂
When you showed your third grade photo, something quickened in my heart. I remember exactly when I went from feeling like a beautiful little girl to ugly. I think I wore that name until my mid thirties.
Thank you for sharing this video and hosting this link.
It’s right then … that period of time when we loose the baby teeth and our bodies are getting a little more gangly, and everything’s changing so fast, and we just don’t know what to make of ourselves. That’s how it went for me anyway. Loved my second grade picture; hated my third grade picture.
Here’s the crazy thing. I haven’t looked at that third-grade picture for years. I was certain of a certain image I had of myself. But when I looked at it yesterday — at age 40 — I saw the beauty in a little girl. Thirty years later. Crazy.
And now I’m going to share Revelation 2:17 with my very own Jennifer, who is like you in more ways than just your name.
P.S. We are almost exactly one year apart in age. I’m January 29, 1971.
Wonderful, Megan. Wonderful. I would love to meet that Jennifer one day. What is your Jennifer’s middle name? I was born Jennifer Lynn.
I spent a good bit of time calling myself names just the other day. How easy it is to slip into that mindset. How hard to imagine that not only does He know my name, but He thinks only good things about me.
This was so filled with gentle wisdom Jennifer. Thank you.
Hi Linda … It’s hard to imagine anyone calling you anything but the sweetest of names. If you start picking on yourself like that again, you have your other self give me a call. I’ll give her a talkin’ to. 😉
Love you.
I have thought about the white stone name so many times.
I believe that we will completely understand why were given our particular name! (God-bumps!!) O Glorious Day!
Won’t that be crazy-cool, Dea? It will be a glorious day.
Needed this today! I have labels that I’ve applied to myself and some from others. Jesus is helping discern what is truth and what is a lie. Thank you for this, it was beautiful!
Hi Alecia. Grateful that God has given you a spirit, mind and ears to discern. Blessings to you.
Oh my, Jennifer – this was just stellar. The best vlog you’ve done yet – expertly woven together with all the pieces -music/words/presence. LOVED the baseball cap and the reference to two ways of mis-naming ourselves, both of which are horribly heavy loads to carry around. I dread the day when my granddaughters go through that painful, “Am I ugly?” stage. It seems to happen to all of us at some point. Just keep speaking truth into her. Over and over.
Hey Diana! Thank you for your encouragement. Lyla always teases me about my black cap, which I wear A LOT around here. So I wore it to see if she would notice. 🙂
Plus, that cap is me. It’s my writing cap. Keeps my brains gathered up in one place, so all my good thoughts don’t go sailing out the top of my head. 🙂
My oldest daughter is going through the questioning-ugliness stage, and I have been encouraging her and praying for her. It’s so hard, though, because I don’t want to over-praise, as if her physical appearance matters more than anything else. You know? Ah, the joys of parenting. 🙂
Love the God-incidence of the white stone your friend gave you and how He renames us…touching vlog…
“Ugly” must be one of the enemy’s favorite lies to tell women because I have yet to meet a woman who has not struggled at some point in her life with that lie. Thanks for sharing truth, Jennifer 🙂 great post at Jen’s…
You know, the crazy thing was, until I was putting that video together, it hadn’t occurred to me that my own name matched the white stone theme. I love how God does that sort of thing.
Really glad you’re here, Dolly. May you sense God whispering all kind of loveliness in your ears tonight. You’re a treasure.
Just what I needed at the end of a long day. Thank you Jennifer. Thank you God, for Jennifer. You are blessed, so that you may be a blessing. What a gift you are! MS.
I think there is much more to names and labels than most of us realize.
Won’t it be amazing to hear the name that God will give each of us, that nobody knows?
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!
Love sitting here and feeling like I’m in your living room 🙂 Thanks for sharing, for getting me thinking about those labels and for reminding me we are all BECOMING! Love what you wrote on Jen’s blog- that we live in between who we were and who we are becoming. Sometimes the tension of that drives me crazy. Other times, I’m just grateful that He is bothering at all to keep refining me. Grace, pure grace. You’re beautiful, Jennifer!
I love your vlogs! I love reading your blog, but sitting here, really LISTENING to you say your own words, in your own voice…I feel as if I’ve been transported to Iowa and am sitting at your kitchen table and you’re talking straight to my heart. I love that feeling!
Labels, labels, labels, lies, lies, lies…how long have I struggled with these? From the struggle of being an overweight child/teen/adult to feeling “ugly” and not “enough” (of anything…not pretty enough, smart enough, quiet enough, talented enough…you know the list goes on and on)…to struggling with infertility/miscarriage and the labels of “barren”, “broken”, not good enough to be a mother, not a good enough wife, not devoted enough, not a good enough Christian. Labels, names, lies, the boxes we cram ourselves into…why do we hurt ourselves and each other with these? And why are they so hard to let go of? They hurt, but they are comfortable. Familiar. And oh so hard to put down. I struggle with laying my labels at the foot of the Cross. I know I’m not meant to wear them…to carry them. But it is so very hard to peel them off one by one and let Him take them for me.
Thank you for the reminders that I don’t have to go this alone. Thank you for sharing God’s grace so openly with us. Thank you, Jennifer, for being the exact Jennifer you were created to be. 🙂
Of course I am awake in the middle of the night, worrying about a name I am giving myself (!) and I saw this. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve seen you in person and heard your voice, so these videos are a real gift. I don’t even know how to tell you what I want to say, which is to keep on keeping on because you are doing wonderful, beautiful work. I love you!
I just love, love, love when you gift us with a video. And these words? A balm for me today. Love to you, Jennifer.
Such beautiful, powerful truth here, Jennifer. You have refreshed my soul this day. xox