My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalms 139:15-16 NIV
As I have mentioned in my last two posts (Magic Tricks and What We Model), my grandfather used to take me to the library every Friday. It was a joy, but there was a hurdle we had to overcome before I could start picking out titles to take home—I needed a library card!
The reason this was a sticking point was because I was under 18 and needed a parent to sign in order for me to be able to get a library card. So the next time my mom and I were in the area we stopped by the library and got a library card—a card that had my mother’s name on it since my card from another library was at home and there was no way for this new library to know that I did in fact have a real library card. However it didn’t really matter, my mother didn’t really need a card for this library so she gave me the card to use and use it I did! For the next 10 years, I was in a happy book-surrounded haze. But, something a little embarrassing happened over the course of those 10 years…
Since grandpa and I were very much creatures of habit, we went to the library around the same time every Friday which meant we had to wait until breakfast was cleared and grandpa had finished his cup of coffee which he drank while reading the newspaper in his big red leather Eazy Boy recliner. We usually saw the same librarian, Alice, every time and we would exchange pleasantries with her and got to know her over the years as we gradually built up our status as regulars. Then one day as we were heading out the library doors I heard Alice say, “Bye Luanne!” For the record my name is Alaina—-my mom is Luanne, as was the name on my card…
Since we were heading out the door, I didn’t stop to correct her figuring I would do it next time. The following week she didn’t address me by name. Then a time or two later the same thing happened! She called me my mother’s name as I was leaving! It went on like this, her calling me my mother’s name when I was just about out of the library that I never felt I had the right opportunity to set the record straight. Finally, I gave up and just figured I’d assume my mother’s identity while in the library. Alice need never know.
It pretty much worked like that. I graduated high school, attended and graduated from beauty school, all the while being known by my mother’s name every time I stopped into the library. One day I stopped and Alice was there; I told her about my recent graduation from beauty school and she asked for my business card. Without thinking I handed it over. I saw a puzzled look cross her face as she stated that the name on my business card was not in fact the name she had been calling me for the majority of a decade! I was mortified as I explained the whole embarrassing story to her!
Alice knew me, albeit not especially well, but she recognized me. She knew my grandparents, our reading preferences, and our Friday routine. But even after a decade, she still didn’t truly know us—she didn’t even know my real name!
It’s like that with people; it’s easy to get confused and tangled up and miscommunicate. The truly beautiful thing about our relationship with God is that not only does He know us by name, He also knows our hearts. He knows the intentions of our hearts. He knows what it is that we are desperately trying to say to Him but can’t quite find the words to say when we feel like we are just rambling in our prayers to Him. We can get to know Him better by spending time daily in the Word and in communion with Him. He knows us much deeper than just by name—but how well do you know Him?
Disclosure
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