The Renaming Process

Today I choose to live a day of integrity.
Today I choose to not get offended and to forgive quickly.
Today I choose to be a loving mother and an encouraging wife.
Today I choose to walk forward in my relationship with Christ.
Today I choose to forgive myself the way that Christ has forgiven me.
Today I choose to walk in the joy of the Lord.
Today I choose to humble myself.
Today I choose to rest in his presence.
Today I choose to share God's love with those I meet.
Today I choose to honor my husband as the man of God he is.
Today I choose to hear the voice of God in ways and places I never thought imaginable.

1 Peter 1:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

I was talking a friend yesterday on the phone, telling her how I have lived "Thumper Theology" for the better part of my life. She was unsure of what I was talking about so I reminded her of the movie Bambi where Thumper says to his mother "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." There are many situations that MY (JenniLee's) opinion doesn't matter. Someone told me once they don't need to hear what you have to say they need to hear what the Word says. So for the most part (stop laughing) I try to keep that in my mind before I open my mouth and insert the shoe store. I am not always successful but that quote has stuck with me for all these years and it's something I have taught to my children.

My friend says my favorite quote from that movie is when Bambi meets the skunk. Goes a little something like this...

Bambi: Pretty [sniffs flowers, runs nose to nose into a skunk]
Bambi: flower!
Flower: Me?
Thumper: [laughs hysterically] That's not a flower! He's just a little...
Flower: Oh, that's all right. He can call me flower if he wants to. I don't mind.
Bambi: Pretty... pretty flower.
Flower: [giggling] Oh, gosh!

As soon as she said it I came back with isn't that what God does with us? He takes us as skunks and calls us flowers. He finds us right where we are and gives us a new name. He sees us for so much more than our friends see us, and so much more than we see ourselves.

Our brother of the faith Peter learned this. In John 1:40-42 it tells us that, "Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" . And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter)."

I am going to try not to go all hardcore on you but I think you will find this really a great renaming process.

Simonos (4613), Simon, meaning hearing. Hebrew: Shim'own (8065), Simeon, Shimeon, meaning heard, from Shama (8085) to hear. Reed.

Cephas, (2786), from Kepha, meaning rock; A Syriac surname given to Simon, which is rendered in Greek

Pétros (4074), Peter, also meaning a rock - stone, piece of rock

Ian Bond wrote, "Jesus transformed Simon, and upright man, yet easily swayed and unstable like a "reed", into Peter, the first "rock" upon whim He could build His church.

Jesus walked up to a man, was introduced to this man by his brother. This brother has never met Jesus before, but yet, Jesus looks at him and says good man, but now, I call you Peter. It's like he looked at him and said you are good now, but I am going to make you better, I am now going to call you Rocky.

He redefines us upon our first meeting and no matter how skunky, or how many times we need chastised (think when Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind me Satan!"), he still calls us "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God".

Lord how blessed we are. How many times we look only at our circumstances and not at the fullness of the process. Lord, I just pray that you would give me, us, the vision to see the bigger picture. That Lord even as we walk through the hard circumstances, as we stumble in our flesh that you call us friend, anointed, appointed, called and set apart. You have a special name for all of this that we may have never heard before. Lord, I pray that you would give us visions of ourselves through your eyes. Not that we could be haughty or proud but that we could walk in more fullness of your love for us. We love you Lord and we give you all the honor, the worship and the praise. You are the awesome God that created us and loves us...even if we are skunks or stinky fishermen. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.