… I will give him … a new name … — Revelation 2:17
When I was a ten-year-old boy living in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, I gave my dad the nickname “Hubcap.” Somehow the nickname stuck, and that’s what we ended up calling him for the rest of his life. From that point on we never called him “Dad” or “Daddy” or “Father,” but, instead, “Hubcap.”
So much hinges on a name. If I could go back in time, I would nix the name “Hubcap” and call him “Dad” instead. I almost wanted to do that before he died, but somehow I could never get my lips to form the word “Dad” when I was in his presence. Baggage from the past kept me from giving him the title that belonged to him.
So much has changed. I no longer fear my dad like I did when I was a child. I no longer have contempt for him like I did in my arrogant twenties. My anger has melted away into understanding. I now, at age fifty, can freely admit that he was, in many ways, a better man than I am.
My dad entered this world 77 years ago today. I could tell you his story, but I won’t. I could tell you his virtues, but I won’t. Instead, I invite you to pause to contemplate the virtues of those who set the compass for your life, who – despite their imperfections – invested themselves in you.
Why does God give us a new name?
Because when God finishes with us the old names can’t contain who we really are.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
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Visit DwightClough.com for more information. Dwight and his wife Kim are active members of Lake City Church in Madison.