When I got married, I changed my name. I don’t mean just my last name. I changed the whole thing. I threw out my first name, moved my middle name to the top spot, slid my last name to the middle, and took my husband’s last name.

I was a whole new person.

So much so that I ended up on some government watch list. Every time I flew, for that entire next year, I got shuffled to a special line where my bags were searched and a wand was waved over my body. I guess anyone who undergoes such a radical transformation is a little suspect.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;  the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”
‭‭(2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Of course, simply by changing my name, I hadn’t managed to change much else about myself. I was still the same inside. I was only different as far as the TSA was concerned.

That wasn’t true when I accepted the name of “Jesus follower.” For that, I changed inside more than outside. When I accepted Jesus as Lord of my life and Savior of my soul, I underwent a transformation that should have sent me into a special travel lane. Maybe even a separate plane.

Suddenly, because of Jesus, I had the promise of eternal life. What hope! I had unlimited forgiveness, and free and constant access to the Creator of the universe. What joy and peace! I had a new purpose and a relationship with the source of all love.

When I became God’s child, my name may not have changed, but everything else about my life’s trajectory did. And I am still growing and learning all the ways my life has been rewritten.

Dear God, thank you for your transforming work in my life. Every day I learn more about you, and my life is changed. Your wisdom is powerful, your truth is perfect, your love is complete. As your child, guide me in ways I can become more like you each day.