What’s Your New Name?
January 30, 2025
I’d forgotten about the small stone I took home from a women’s retreat long ago during my healing years. I’d tucked it away in a small metal canister with other keepsakes.
But recently while reading Thirsting for prayer by Jacques Philippe, he referenced this verse,
“To him (her) who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give her a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to her who receives it.” -- the words of Jesus from Revelation 2:17
A short note on stones in ancient times. They were often given as tokens for specific reasons and purposes. A white rock was sometimes used in judicial matters as a vote of “not guilty.” In the context of this passage, the name was given to the keeper of the stone as a forgiven follower of Jesus and a victorious overcomer. **
I was really drawn to the mystery of this promise. I couldn’t help but go to the Source and whisper timidly, “Jesus, do I have a new name?” That’s when the stone from the retreat sprang to mind. My stone wasn’t exactly white, more grey-ish, but I was confident it revealed my secret new name. At that retreat I faintly remember we were encouraged to pick a stone and write a word that we wanted most to describe ourselves.
I wrote authentic on mine.
In my healing days, I longed for just that. Authenticity. I was on the bumpy road to overcoming when I scribbled that word on the stone. After decades of burying the abuse that happened to me as a child, I was finally releasing my secret. And along with freeing the secret, I was also liberating the authentic me that had been locked up for so long. The real me that had come to know Jesus late in life and was beginning to uncover and discover so many things about myself. At that time, I was keenly aware that I wanted to leave my secret keeping past behind and be as forthcoming and authentic as possible moving forward.
When I was ready, this would mean boldly sharing my story with the world. I came to realize my past, and all its hurt, was actually an important part of the authentic me. Instead of hiding it, I set out, with God’s help, to repurpose it into something good. I wanted others to understand the power and healing from releasing their secrets. This is my passion to this day. I didn’t realize it until now that God gave me a new name that helped reveal my purpose long before I even recognized it.
I love the very intimate nature of this verse. A unique name for each of us who overcomes known only to the receiver. In his book, Phillips says:
God’s love is personal and individual. Each of us has every right to say: ‘God loves me as he loves no one else in the world!’ God does not love two people in the same way because it is actually his love that creates our personality, a different personality for each.
Are you in the thick of overcoming? Whether abuse, grief, divorce, disease, depression or whatever is challenging you. Or perhaps you’re on the other side of it. Wherever you find yourself, consider sitting with God for a spell and ask him if he has a new name for you. Perhaps it can guide you to next steps for a new chapter in your life.
Then, as Jesus says, (S)he who has an ear, let her hear.
Maybe it will come right away. Maybe it will take a few days. Or maybe the time is not right for you to receive it yet. After all, mine took years to become fully known to me.
When you do discover it, how about taking it a step further? Find a white (white-ish is good, too ☺) and write your new name on it. Keep it near where you can spot it regularly as a reminder that as an overcomer, you have not only received a new name from Jesus, but a new identity and purpose, too.
Side note: if this email looks a bit different than my past emails, I’ve switched over to Substack. It’s a new way of connecting to my potential people. I’ll be doing less on social media and more connecting through this platform. I’ll still be keeping emails to once a month, twice at most.
** From my FireBible (NIV version) student edition, 2007