Encounter the Nameless

Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

John 8:10

She was walking toward me with an angelic grin on her face. I knew her. I welcomed her face. I couldn't remember her name.

What was happening to me? I talked with her almost every week. I considered her a friend. Why was her name escaping me?

Did my brain fall out during the fourth birth?


Would I set a World Record for earliest onset of Alzheimer's?


Does this ever happen to you? Even someone you know can become nameless in a single moment.

I struggle to remember names and I find most people struggle with mine. Just today someone called me Mrs. Milhouse and then peered at me strangely when I didn't respond immediately.

This afternoon Mrs. Milhouse reflected on the nameless women of the Bible. Countless women had life-changing interactions with Jesus but are known to the modern world simply as "woman". As I reflected on these encounters, I saw the dusty streets of ancient Israel with Whitney Houston belting, "I'm Every Woman" in the background.

Nameless men and women cross my path each day. I have the opportunity to stop and see them. But do I?

The woman who needs diapers for her newborn.


The man struggling with identity during a season of unemployment.


The girl who hides her worry behind a smile.


Today I will encounter the nameless, the unknown, Jesus' kind of people. I can choose to see. I can choose to bring His grace into their self-condemnation. I can introduce nameless people like me to the Name above all names.

Hello My Name Is...

For those who know your name will trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10

Right now I can hear her voice. Strains of "Glo-ooooooo-ria" intermixed with "Jesus is a Good Friend". I am often amazed how a single line of praise can keep Carynne singing for hours. Her song overflows from her heart - a well of kindness.


Her birthday is tomorrow and I'm not sure who's more excited. I delight in the opportunity to celebrate the gift she is to our family. When I asked her what she wanted to eat for her birthday dinner she quickly rattled off her choices:


Macaroni n Cheese with Sliced Hot Dogs
Pickle Spears
Roasted Cauliflower
Celery with Peanut Butter
Ice Cream


This group of foods are uniquely her. Few other almost five year old would select cauliflower or pickles. Some might select mac-n-cheese but likely not celery. Carynne is unafraid to express who she is.


Am I?


Almost every Wednesday I meet my mom friends at Chick-fil-a for lunch. The employees see us coming and know a bundle of kids, laughter and a touch of high maintenance is headed their way. As I place my own unique order, I usually feel my cheeks redden. I'm embarrassed to ask for two sunflower seeds and no croutons or an extra honey barbeque sauce. My request makes me feel like I'm asking too much, as if I'm wearing a giant name badge reading, "Hello...My Name is Demanding."


Fear of expressing myself stems from a desire to remain hidden. Unseen. To just blend in.


But God...


He wants me to hide only in Him, to trust in His name and to blend in with His grace.


Tomorrow we will sing the Happy Birthday song but it will be distinctly Carynne's because we will insert her name.


Today I will trust in His name. I will wear a name badge over my heart. It reads..."His".