hi Everybody!
(((HUGS)))
Bible in a Year:
Dont call me Naomi, she told them. Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.
Nicknames arent limited to campwe even find them used in the Bible. For example, Jesus dubs the apostles James and John the sons of thunder (Mark 3:17). Its rare in Scripture for someone to give themselves a nickname, yet it happens when a woman named Naomi asks people to call her Mara, which means bitterness (Ruth 1:20), because both her husband and two sons had died. She felt that God had made her life bitter (v. 21).
The new name Naomi gave herself didnt stick, however, because those devastating losses were not the end of her story. In the midst of her sorrow, God had blessed her with a loving daughter-in-law, Ruth, who eventually remarried and had a son, creating a family for Naomi again.
Although we might sometimes be tempted to give ourselves bitter nicknames, like failure or unloved, based on difficulties weve experienced or mistakes weve made, those names are not the end of our stories. We can replace those labels with the name God has given each of us, loved one (Romans 9:25), and look for the ways Hes providing for us in even the most challenging of times.
Think of a nickname someone gave you. What did you like or not like about it? How does being called a beloved child of God change how you see yourself?
Heavenly Father, thank You that Im not defined by the circumstances or experiences of my life. Thank You for calling me Your child.
Greetings to all at the Canteen!
To all our military men and women, past and present,
THANK YOU
for your service!
Howdy, lauren.
Did I get lucky and slip in before you have to get back to work? :-)
I hope things aren’t too crazy for you these days.
How's everyone this morning?