NEEDY

Each of us can recall being called a name that we did not want to embrace as ours. Stupid. Lazy. Selfish. Needy. We all have names that trouble our souls in the very moments we think we’ve moved beyond them. And while we are meant to do away with some of these negative names completely, other names are invitations—meant to be captured and reframed.

Without the name Needy, for instance, we can start to believe a dangerous narrative: that somehow, we are the ones in charge of the details of our lives and that, in the places where life isn’t what we want, we must try and hustle harder. Some of us need to claim the name Needy (or something like it) for ourselves because we have refused to rely on God’s sovereignty. Others might need to remove the shame that coats this name. We need to realize that being needy is not a negative; it’s part of being human. It is the one name that will move us toward relying on the Lord in a deeper, truer way.

If there’s a broken name deeply embedded in your soul’s fabric, you have options. You can try pushing it down, but that only works for a few years. The name will pop up at the most inopportune moments. You can also try digging it out, but that gets difficult at times. A better option is to invite the Spirit of God to tend to your false name.

There may be broken names that you have clung to over the years that God is asking you to hand over to him. Names that may have influenced your mind and spirit into believing lies that aren’t true. Some of those names need to be done away with completely, but some need to be reconstructed by the Spirit—renovated into a name that truly fits. In so doing, you’ll find that your name shares space with redemption.

Ask

• Have you or someone else ever described yourself with a negative name like Needy? What kind of emotional connotations does that name carry for you?
• In what ways do you need to reconstruct your idea of that name? Where does God want to redeem or reframe a name that you’ve struggled with?
• How would embracing our need for others or for God change how we move in the world? How can this bring freedom in our lives?

Pray

Lord, release the broken names that I have been clinging to for far too long. Heal the names that ring out lies and speak false narratives about who I am. And in your mercy, please reframe any names I’ve deemed negative that you want to deem redemptive. Amen.