“I know your name”

My birthday is coming up soon, and I usually don’t like to announce it or make a big deal. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about celebrating life and eating cake, but I don’t like to be the center of attention. I only mention this because last week my children asked me how I wanted to celebrate and instead of dodging the question and simply letting it pass, I have been thinking intentionally about my answer. After much thought I decided that what makes me the happiest is family night, which is usually extended to friends and whoever can come and share time with us. There’s something special about being surrounded by people you love. We go around the table and as each person shares the highs and the lows of the week we all look attentively and ask questions, there’s this feeling that we all care and it is because we genuinely do. That is my favorite moment, a safe space in the middle of whatever we are facing and how fitting and necessary it is now as we face the painful reality we are living in.  

The other day as I was having my quiet time I read a verse that I had read many times before, but this time it shook me to the point I couldn’t contain my tears. I was reading John 20 about the morning when Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb and found it empty. “...Mary stood outside the tomb crying… ‘Woman,’ he said, ‘why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means teacher)” John 20:11,15-16 

I still don’t understand why this touched me so deeply. But I just put myself in Mary’s place. She was probably overwhelmed with emotion, sad, frustrated, confused, probably exhausted from so much crying and had no clarity about the future, and in one second, Jesus changed everything. He could have said anything, but he said her name and she recognized him immediately. That moment must have been unbelievably powerful. I started reading about the effects of hearing our own name. There have been many clinical tests and scientific studies that prove that hearing our own name activates our brains in a specific way. A person’s name is part of his or her identity, in a way it has a lot to do with who we are. We need to be heard, to be seen, to be noticed and when people use our name we feel accepted, valued, and important. 

Jesus saw Mary Magdalene that morning, Jesus saw Saul as he was on his way to Damascus and He called him by name “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). Jesus saw Zacchaeus “...he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ (Luke 19:5). Jesus saw Martha as she was busy with preparations and He said to her: “Martha, Martha... You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” (Luke 10:41) He saw many people, and the same way He sees you “From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind” (Psalm 33:13). He knows everything about you and  He loves you more than you can imagine. Let Him be the source of peace, rest, and wisdom that you and I need as we face the state of humanity and the world at this moment. Let Him be your focus so you won’t lose sight and hope. There is a way, there is a solution and we are part of it, but first we need to find our inner peace and know that we are not alone. We are seen and heard by the Creator and the One in charge of it all. 

Manuelita