‘Mighty man of valor!’ spoke the angel of the Lord to Gideon while he cowered in the wine press, hiding his harvest from the Midianites. In another version I read, ‘You are a brave man and God is with you.’ I have been pondering what God sees when he looks at me. I know his thoughts are far above mine, but what does he see? What is his perspective on my cranky moments? What does he call forth in me? And in you? The angel of God names Gideon courageous, and what remains but for Gideon to step into that naming. Often in Scripture God seems to call out the very thing that we are not. Sarah was called a great woman of faith. Peter was called Rock. Abram was called Abraham, the father of many nations.
Even land can be named. Many of these wonderful stories of the Old Testament involve the renaming of places for their significance to God. Our brown valley has been called ‘green’. What will that look like? Glorious, green, luscious, productive land. If you look Bangula up on google earth, you can see our green patch, conspicuous among the scrub. There are trees. There are fields of maize. There are beautiful birds. When my parents were here recently, my dad spotted a peregrine falcon in my garden. He sat regal and beautiful while we scrambled for the binoculars and the bird book.
How fabulous that the fastest bird in the world perched in my garden. Aswesome indeed, for Kalina, granddad, and I, but what about the myriad little birds who call our garden home? Did they stand in awe to see royalty so close? Is that why there was a sudden hush? I called the falcon, ‘beautiful’ and ‘amazing’, but he might also be called ‘killer’ and ‘sinister.’ The stillness revealed the other side of this stunning creature.
Naming is a powerful opportunity. Like Adam in the garden, we are given authority to name. ‘What you bind will be bound in heaven, and what you loose will be loosed in heaven.’ I wonder how Adam came up with all those names which seem totally reasonable to us now: crocodile, lion, or giraffe. Our parents named us, for better or for worse. There are names which define, and others which do not. ‘Mavuto’ is a common name in Malawi meaning ‘trouble.’ How much better are ‘Chisomo’ (grace), ‘Chimwemwe’ (joy), and ‘Chifundo’ (mercy)?
Often there are competing voices in the naming of a child. In spite of the name ‘Chisomo’ an abusive uncle ravages a little girl and so names her ‘Worthless.’ A child who is sold in payment of a debt will struggle to believe he is called ‘Beloved.’ It must be repeated often and insistently, with no reversals. Likewise, girls who are the victims of normal sexual abuse which goes on every day will scarcely believe you when you call them ‘Beautiful.’
Naming goes beyond words to our actions and responses. On a really hot day, the last thing I want is a big hug. But that is what is needed. The child is crying out, ‘Call me loved.’ At kids’ clubs every week we wash wounds and put on some ointment. Medically, it does little but keep out the flies. Our prayer is that they will receive the touch as a name: ‘Worthy of protection.’ Where life is so defined by survival, there is little time to comfort a hurt child.
This week I measured all our girls for their new school uniforms. I tried to compliment each one as I worked. Esther is small and quite thin. She looked up at me, and said, ‘I know!’ I smiled. She knows she is beautiful. Esther could hardly walk when she came. She had a very good throwing arm though, as she was forced to protect herself with rocks. Now, she knows she is beautiful.
One step in renaming those who have been abandoned and abused is to show them their value. With 60 kids, this is an ongoing struggle for me. I want to bless everyone, and respond to their needs, but I also need to recharge and rest. I cannot be fair all the time, and that sometimes hurts. I need to discern the urgency of the need, and the connection to the deep rooted need for affirmation. God continues to call me ‘Patient’ and ‘Kind’. These are my names in the Spirit, though they are sometimes not very visible.
It comes back to finding God’s perspective. ‘Be still and know that I am God’ and I see you, and I see the needs, and I am the answer. And I AM!
