He said my name.

What a morning...!  We got up early to go to our church's SonRise service.  Tough to do but after a cup of coffee I was ready...

It's bizarre when your (my) husband is the Pastor and he's speaking right to you (me).  It just doesn't seem right to have a personal message (he didn't plan it that way).  I sat there thinking, "you're supposed to be speaking to them... I'm ok.  Feed them."  I always absorb what the Spirit says through my man... but today. . . today it was for ME.

Tim spoke of early that resurrection morning, before light Mary walking to Jesus' tomb.  One more time she wanted to be near Him, to minister to Him, to anoint Him.  And He was gone.  Tim's words, "How can you add despair to despair?"  Totally brokenhearted, she did not know where her Jesus was.  Desperate to rub His brow, clean the blood off His cold, dead body.  One last chance to be with Him.

The One she presumes to be the Gardener asks her why she's crying.  Weeping and in anguish she tells Him they have taken away her Lord's body and she doesn't know where to find Him.  And then the Gardener says one word.  One name.  And in that one word He says EVERYTHING.  "Mary" He says...

He says her name.

He said MY name.  And in saying my name He tells me everything I NEED to know.  I am defined by His saying my name.  All I am, All I do . . . absolutely EVERYTHING is because He says my name.  O, I wish I could explain it in words.  But words are completely and utterly incapable of expressing the richness, fullness, completeness of Jesus saying my name.  There, in that moment is peace.... and more than peace, safety.... and more than safety, rest.

And although I knew all this, I've let Jesus define me for years.  This was a moment that transcended my God-given temperament, moved beyond Him shaping my character to be more like His sweet self.

This moment, as I slowly raised my eyes to look into His face...... Jesus tenderly said MY Name.