The meaning of your name
Have you ever researched the meaning of your name? My good friend Ryan just did this and discovered that his name means “Little King.” Ryan loves that meaning because in his words, he is “both short and royal!” Many of our names have positive meanings, but we often focus on the negative. Why? Because Satan loves to lie to us, and we often believe him.
The enemy of our souls wants us to believe that we are broken beyond repair. But God desperately wants us to believe the opposite of that lie. God’s desire for us is to believe that He can make all things new, and it all begins with this foundational truth:
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)
You are God’s “Handiwork”! You were on God’s heart and in the forefront of His mind before He even made you!
The original word for “handiwork” in this verse is “poieme,” and it means that God sees you as a “work of art,” His masterpiece. What a miracle! You are both fearfully and wonderfully made! God created you in His image to fulfill His purpose for your life.
I know that you may be struggling right now because the enemy is likely accusing you in this moment. He may be saying that you might have been God’s workmanship, but because of your bad decisions, you are no longer who God says you are...you are broken. friend, can I encourage you with one of my favorite quotes from Christian author Bob Goff?
“God doesn’t break things so He can fix them; He fixes broken things so He can use them.”
No matter what has happened in the past, today, embrace the name that God has for you. A name that you’ve had since the day God created you, a name that needs to be embraced anew...you are His handiwork! You are a miracle because you have been named by a miracle-working God.
As God’s handiwork, this is what’s true about you from Ephesians 2:1-10:
- You are uniquely created by God.
- You bear the image of Jesus Christ.
- You were created for good works (which means you have the opportunity to be someone else’s miracle today!)
friend, embrace your new name because you are His handiwork…His masterpiece.
You are a miracle!
