Let us build ourselves

Let us build ourselves…a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves.

Did you know that the tower in this story sounds very much like the ancient ziggurats that dotted the Mosopotamian landscape? These elaborate pagan monuments stretched as high as three hundred feet into the sky. Some of them still stand today as testimonies to the creativity of the people who built them. So why did God object when the people of Babel built their tower? What was so bad about using their skill to craft a manificent structure?

Of course God wants us to use our talents to create new and beautiful things – he applauds that, in fact. The problem was that the people were concerned with making “a name” for themselves. Why would they do such a thing when God already had a name for them? He had created them, formed them, and protected them. They already had a dignity and identity that far outstripped any other name they could come up with.

God has a name for you too – one that reflects your place in his heart. Actually, he has more than one name.

Chosen. You are not an accident. God chose to create you with all your unique quirks and talents. Every day, he continues to chose you by inviting you to be with him. So believe that you are Chosen, not rejected.

Beloved. God loved you with a deep and abiding love. He loves you not because you are perfect, but because you are his own. He delights in you and sees the goodness he has created in you. So believe that you are Beloved, not forgotten.

Child. This might be the best name of all. You belong. You are part of his family. He is committed to you just as a Father is committed to his children. You are never alone. So believe that you are a Child of God, not an orphan.

You do not have to make a name for yourself. Your identity is wrapped up in who God has made you to be, not in the things you achieve. You are his chosen, his beloved, his child. Today in prayer, choose one of these names. Repeat it to yourself, thanking God and saying, over and over, ” You call me …”

-word among us