What Were Their Names?

Helen Bruch Pearson, in her book Do What You Have The Power To Do, reminds us that it is important to reclaim the memory of those who have gone before us. So many of those stories from the Bible that speak to me are about women who remain nameless. Do you ever wonder what their names were? I do.

Like Ms. Pearson, "I wonder still...what were their names? I wish I knew the names of the women who brought their children to Jesus for a blessing. Or the names of the women disciples who ministered to Jesus. Or the names of the widows in the early church. I wonder what name the woman at the well answered to - that one who lived on the edge and moved from one crisis to the next? When she received the life-giving water, this woman left her water jar in the dust by the well, and she went to testify to others. It is out of the dust clouds left by her determined footsteps that our hopes arise. But what was her name?

Or the woman who was found in adultery and was told to go and sin no more. What was her name? Or the woman who anointed Jesus with costly ointment and baptized his feet with her tears. Did she have a name? What do you suppose was the name of Jairus's daughter who Jesus took by the hand and raised from the dead? Or the name of the woman who pushed through the crowd to touch the hem of his garment? And the bent-over woman, her body crippled and ugly. Did Jesus call her by name when she stood tall and straight? What was her name?

Or the name of the widow who gave her last mite. Or the bride at the wedding for whom Jesus performed his first miracle. Or the names of the women at the cross who waited through the night. Ah...I wonder...what were their names?

What were their names?"

I could go on and on listing and remembering these brave, unnamed women, but we are called to do more than remember. One of our responsibilities is to make visible in our own time those who are without name, those who are out of our sight and hearing distance. We are called to give voice to those who know only silence and imprisonment. We must find ways to carry the burdens of those who are bent double so that one day we all can stand upright.

In order to reach out to others and give them a voice, we must also take the time to know ourselves. What is your name? A name means that a person has a beginning and a history of relationships. Take a few minutes to recall what you know about your name. From where did it come? How did you get your name? From it's earliest form, has it been changed? Why? Do you know what your name means? Were you named after someone? Who chose your name for you?

Think of the women in your life, named and unnamed, who have been an example to you. Become a conversation with them. What gifts have they given you? What did you learn from them? What would you want to tell them?

Find a friend to share these thoughts with. I would be honored if you would like to leave a comment and share your thoughts with me. If you would like for me to pray for you by name this week, leave a comment. All I need is your first name. God will know your needs.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Isaiah 43:1