Genuine Article

I've been thinking about the centrality of calling upon Jesus' name in prayer - to hearken courage, ward off evil, summon comfort. We call on Jesus name, and we know the power of that word, because we understand (albeit imperfectly and incompletely) who Jesus is. His name has meaning. It has great import. And by using it, we are granted a kind of familiarity with the Son of God - we can call upon him by name, and he is known to us - and we to him.
It seems to me that one of life's goods is to be known and understood by those we love. And I have learned that to be misunderstood by this same audience is a difficult thing to accept. I suspect others feel the same way - that there is something at stake if someone close to us does not know the "truth" about who we are. It calls into question just who the person "April" is - because if my nearest and dearest do not see the things in me that I see, it's hard to know what this fabric is really made of.
It's easy to underestimate each other, to tally our injuries and build defenses. This helps no one, hurts everyone, and diminishes our individual effectiveness in ministering to one another in Christ's name.
Consider this an invitation to walk out into the light of Jesus with me, where we will be washed of all of our toil and transgressions, and be renewed. Then, let's take another good look at each other, and rejoice in the name of Jesus.