What's in a name?

Months ago, when Keane and Gracie were starting to say sounds and recognize different things and people, they would say something that resembled mama. I am not sure if that is what it actually was but I loved it. It made me feel so special and loved when they said it, even just to think that they were actually beginning to realize that I was their mama. Since then, in the past few months, they had stopped saying anything that resembled ‘mama’ in fact they were actually calling me ‘daddy’. They were calling their daddy, ‘daddy’ and they were sometimes calling me ‘daddy’. I didn’t get upset at this thinking that they were doing it on purpose or anything or thinking that they really didn’t know who I was or anything but until that point (where they stopped referring to me as anything resembling ‘mama’) I really didn’t understand how badly I longed for my children to say my name. To acknowledge me as who I am: their ‘mama’. It was hard for me to understand how they couldn’t get it. I mean they were pointing to dogs and calling them ‘dog’ and they would point to daddy and say ‘daddy’, juice and say ‘juice’, ball and say ‘ball’. I wanted them to hear them say ‘mama’ so badly. I never thought I would feel this way. I never knew that having my children call me by “my name” would mean so much or be so special but I certainly realized it when they weren’t saying it.

One day I was looking at Keane when he was calling me ‘daddy’ and saying, “say mommy” and he said ‘daddy’ and I would say, “say mommy” and he said, ‘daddy’. It was in that moment that I realized it and it impacted me in a way I never imagined: this happens to God ALL the time. He desires for people to know Him, to call Him by His name, to call on Him and He looks at them and says, “say God”, “say Father”, “say Lord” and people look back at him and say “Buddha”, “Vishnu”, “Shiva”, “I don’t believe in God”, “material things”, “wealth”, “prosperity”, etc. They look God in the face and call Him something He is not. They don’t call Him by His name. They simply don’t call on Him. God desires for His children to know Him. He has created that way so that people (all people, 2 Peter 3:9) can know Him and call Him “Father”.

Just the other day, I was holding Gracie and she looked up at me and in the sweetest little voice she said, “mama”. I cannot tell you what a sweet, sweet sound it was. I still don’t really understand why it is that special to me or why it means that much but all I can say is that it does. Every time she says it, it touches a place deep down in my heart and makes me smile. I imagine that when we, whom God sent His only Son to die for, finally look up at Him and call on Him and say, “God”, “Father”, “Lord” that it is one of the sweetest sounds He could ever hear. Now Gracie says, “mama” all the time and I must tell you that I still love it SO much. Keane also says it some but not as much yet as Gracie. Each time they say it, it melts my heart and makes me want to stop what I am doing and look at them and see what it is that they need or want. It also is a HUGE reminder of all of the people who don’t call on the name of the Lord and how much hurt that must cause Him. People that He loves so much who call on the names of other gods or things. We must tell them about the God who loves them so much and who longs to know them, to have a relationship with them to hear them say, “Abba, Father, my God!”
(Psalm 34:3, Joel 2:32, John 20:30-31, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:13, Philippians 2:9-11)