I have been thinking lately about names. There are so many that we get called day to day. There are certain names that bless me, names that are romantic, cherishing, sweet.

I'll begin with the names my husband calls me. "Babe." Not overly romantic to me. Slang, acceptable, I don't think I would want anyone but Travis calling me that name. "Babe" doesn't make me feel cherished or loved, but it also doesn't make me feel demeaned, disrespected, or unloved.

Then there is " honey." Honey is a sweet name. It makes me feel an echo of love, an echo of being cherished and invaluable. It isn't a name that blesses me to my core, but it's a name that does let me know that I am loved.

I think my favourite that my husband calls me is "sweetheart." Perhaps sweetheart makes me feel as though he sees my heart, and that is the part of me that he values the most. More than laundry, chores, good cooking, it is a name that makes me feel as though my heart is the diamond within me. It makes me feel cherished for who I really am, what I really think, and what my heart desires most. I love being called sweetheart. It's innocent. There is no sexual connotation, it is a name that is filled with pure appreciation.

However, nothing can compare with the names that Jesus calls me. It is amazing how cherished and beautiful I feel when I know that he sees into my heart. He sees the yucky parts, the dark parts, the beautiful parts, the desperate parts... and he LOVES me. He calls me "Beloved." Nothing could make me feel more esteemed, more beautiful and valuable, more pursued, than knowing that my pet name from the God of everything around us, is " beloved."

We put so much stock in names. Last names mean the world to men, the passing on of the last name, it is an age old tradition. People call us mean names throughout our lives. There are names that are demeaning, names that are humiliating, names that bring shame and regret. There are names that we accept about ourselves, and names that we wholeheartedly reject.

" I am a people person."
"I am shy."
" I am a Christian."
" I am a romantic."
" I am an artist."
" I am a whore."

How many times to we accept something about ourselves without asking Jesus what he says? I am learning that the names that matter are the ones that he gives us. Those are the only names that we should accept.

" You are my beloved..."
" You are captivating..."
" You are lovely..."
" You are dressed in white..."

I know that I will never know myself as well as Jesus knows me. I will never value myself the way that he does. I just need to continue to listen for his names for me.