HELLO: My Name Is WhaDeeDum

We had a little dog when I was growing up in Illinois.  He was probably the ugliest little dog I've ever seen.  He had wiry (and greasy) black and brown hair, and when he was wet he looked like a rat.  When we got him from the shelter his name was WhaDeeDum.  I'm not sure if that's how you spell it, but that's how it sounds.

The first thing we did when we brought him home was change his name.  Now he had a new identity to go with his new home and new family:  Bear.  He might have been ugly and little, but we gave him a name that could instill courage in his little 4 lbs of bones.  We fed him, played with him, took him for walks, and talked to him.  Ok, I talked to him.  And alright, I'll admit that most of the time I was just telling him how ugly he was in a really sing-songy voice so that he didn't know I was being mean. . . but still, I did talk to him.

So you get the point - we took care of him!  This sweet little doggy got a new start with the Carlsen clan.  His previous home - before the shelter - had been abusive, so this was a completely different life for the little guy.

At first he seemed scared by everything.  If we walked in a room too quickly, or too loudly, or if we happened to swing our hand or foot anywhere near him, he would crouch down and whimper as if we were about to hit him.  It was so sad watching him fear us so much!

But he learned, eventually, that we were not going to hit him.  He was never exactly a brave dog, but he didn't seem so afraid of everything after a while.

WhaDeeDum's story reminds me a little of the Christian life.

You see, we start out life in this world with a certain identity.  Once we are adopted into God's family, we get a brand new one.  And not just a new identity, but a new home, a new family, and a completely new heart.

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  2 Corinthians 5:17

I am not who I used to be. . . but wouldn't it be sad if I still lived as if I was?

What if Bear (Whadeedum) never stopped shrinking back when we reached out to pet him?  What if over the course of 10 years he never learned that he could trust us?  His life would have been just a pale reflection of what it could have been had he trusted in our love. . .

Same is true for us.  If we go through out Christian life without truly understanding this new identity we have in Christ; this power we have through His Spirit; our life will only be a pale reflection of what it was meant to be.

If you are a follower of Jesus you have been remade.  The same power that created and sustains this earth and that rose Jesus from the dead lives IN you.  You don't need to cower in fear over the difficulties in this life.  You are called to live courageously and boldly; to grasp ahold of your new "name" and live out that new identity to its fullest.

Our God is worthy of our trust, and His promises to us are certain. 

Are you intimidated or afraid to try and live out the humility I've talked about over the last few days?  Remember in those moments that God has not called you to do something without first equipping you with the power source to do it.

My name was sinner.  I was poor, wretched, blind, lost, selfish, condemned, judged, and enslaved.

Now?  My name is saint.  I am pure, holy, blameless, loved, redeemed, empowered, and freed.

I will - by God's grace - live out my true identity, and moment by moment reject the one I left behind. 

I am not who I once was. 

And if you are in Christ, neither are you.