Sunday, May 8, 2016

The Power Behind A Name

         This month marks my 1 year anniversary for living in Thailand and what a roller coaster it has been.  ONE WEEK after my arrival to Thailand I was in a motorbike accident that broke my shoulder in 6 places and left me totally dependent and at the mercy of others to do basic things for me such as getting to language class, braiding my hair, eating, or taking a shower.  But God poured out His love to me through the kindness of strangers and acquaintances and I was able to make it through. (Romans 5:3)

            After the accident I was in the hospital recovery room for 5 days.  After that I had to go back for check-ups and therapy several times a week for over 3 months.  The nurses at the hospital were some of my first friends in Thailand and we became very familiar with each other.  They would come hang out with me in my room and I had many opportunities to share why I was there and about Jesus. 

They loved the fact that I was studying Thai and so I wouldn’t get behind in school they offered to help me.  After a couple days some of the nurses asked if I wanted a Thai name! I couldn’t believe I was already getting a Thai name so quickly and I gladly accepted.  They thought about it for a little bit then came back to tell me the Thai name they came up with.

          My Thai name is Jow-Ying, which translates to Princess.  I accepted the name but in the back of my head wondered, “Why on earth would they give me that name?”  One of my teammates jokingly said it was because I acted like a “high-maintenance” princess but I knew there was something in me they saw that caused them to choose that name and I was curious as to why.

Fast forward to this past week at DTS where we learned about the Kingdom of God (Matthew 13:11).  During Workshop Night we had the room dark and lite with candles.  There were several booths we could go to and one of the booths was set up with a full-length mirror.  On the top of the mirror it said “Who I Am In Christ” and around the sides were bible verses related to that topic. 

            While looking into this mirror I realized how special my Thai name is.  God spoke to my heart that it wasn’t given to me by accident.  God knew what I was going to face this year and He used those non-Christian ladies who didn’t know me well; to give me a name that literally describes how God see’s me and who I am to Him! (Romans 8:14-17)

I’ve had a hard time seeing God’s love for me and trusting His plan through all of these trials I’ve been facing this year.  Since life this year has been tough God has used this name constantly to remind about who I am in Christ and how special I am to my Father, The King of Kings.  Nothing can separate me from His love for me, including all this physical, spiritual, and emotional hurt and pain I’ve experienced from this past year. 

            Not only that, but every Thai person I have shared my name with adores this name.  Many of the girls I worked with would say things like, “I want to be a princess too!” and I would tell them, “you are a princess!”  They would smile and blush then we would call each other princesses and talk about how much we are loved by God and how special we are too Him. 

This name brought so much love into the lives of so many who have come from hopeless situations and found themselves in the loving arms of the King of Kings.  It gave me many chances to explain to believers and non-believers alike about how God sees His children and the privileges we receive by being His children.    

            Every single person on this earth has been given an opportunity to be a prince or princess of the King of Kings yet some choose to live outside of that inheritance.  Some choose not to have a relationship with the King of Kings.  They choose to believe that He doesn’t exist and turn their hearts to something else.  Because of this they never gain their chance to fulfill their purpose in life, to spend eternity with Him, and to be recognized as a prince or princess.  God didn’t create hell for these people but because they choose to reject Him they choose to forfeit their inheritance spending eternity separated from their loving Father and Creator in a place that was never made for them to begin with. 

            Believers, you aren’t exempt either.  We can also deny our title.  This whole year I had the Thai name Princess yet I continued to live in defeat as a victim of “stinking thinking” that the enemy Satan constantly feed into my mind.  There are so many believers who live defeated in this world! But God has given us victory for every battle we face.  We have the tools to live victoriously we just need to receive them, pick them up, and use them!!  Stop using your own crappy tools that get you nowhere except feeling more defeated.  (1 Peter 2:9-10)


            So my question for you today is this, have you chosen the title you were created for?  If so, are you living out your title with victory or are you living in defeat?  The King of all Kings is a gentleman.  He will not intrude in your life.  He wants to be in a loving relationship with you but the choice is yours!  He wants to defend you and carry you but cannot do so if you don’t trust Him.  What choice will you make?


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