I Have Called You by Name

On her first day in Cameroon, my daughter, Sonja, walked into the center of the capital city. Amidst all the street noise and the crowds of people, she heard someone call out "Sonja!" It was completely unexpected! For her, this was a city of strangers. Then she saw the face of the person who had befriended her at the airport in Paris and who had promised to help her reach her destination. It was a joyful moment! For all pilgrims, the importance of names and faces can never be understated. It connects with our desire to know others and to be known by them. To the pilgrim people of Israel, God said "I have called you by name" (Isaiah 43:1) It was a promise to stay in relationship with them throughout every stage of their journey. This, along with Sonja's story, makes me want to be more intentional about learning and remembering the names of people I meet in my daily pilgrimage. A standard pattern of mine is to ask a person what their name is and then fail to enter into my memory bank. And, then, since I have asked, I am embarrassed to ask again. But today, I am imagining how good it must have been for Sonja to hear her name called out in the middle of that urban wilderness. With that in mind, I will try the practice of saying each person's name at least once when I am speaking to them. It's a small step, but that is how all journeys begin.