WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD ...what's in a name?

Some time ago I heard the following story...

"There was a little boy in his room at night when a storm brewed up. The boy called out to his mother and she came in right away and consoled the boy. Before leaving his room, the mother reminder her son that God was there with him all of the time, so there was no need to worry. He responded, "I know mommy...but I want someone with skin on them!"

Have you ever desired to see someone with "skin on?" From time to time, we have encounters with people that we actually do not see face to face, possibly we communicate with them via the computer or over the telephone. It could be a business associate, a blogging friend or a long removed relative.

Several years ago, I worked for a very big paper company as a customer service rep. For several years, I worked alongside a sales rep. Every day we communicated on the telephone for over 2 years. I was his right hand gal, the one that all of his customers depended upon when it came to servicing their customer needs. Even though we worked together as a team, I had never actually met this co-worker of mine face to face. In my mind, I had mentally conjured up a picture of what I thought my district sales rep looked like and then one day, he came to the home office where I worked. Believe it or not ... he looked NOTHING like I had imagined.

As a Christian ~ have you ever wondered what God must look like?

In the book of Job, Job hungered for being able to see God. Job said, "If only I knew how to find Him, so that I could go to His throne." (Job 23:3) However, Job became frustrated in his search..."If I go east, He is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive Him. When He is at work to the north, I cannot see Him; when He turns south, I cannot find Him." (Job 23:8,9)

For those who were alive at the time Jesus was born, they experienced what Job desperately hungered for - they saw Him in visible form - they saw Christ with "skin on Him."

One of the greatest miracles we can experience is the birth of a child. Even before my children were born, while they were still in my womb, I loved them. But when I held them in my arms that very first time, and looked into their lovely face and touched their soft skin, and called them by name...it was then that the miracle of life came alive to me. The name of my baby really meant something to me at that moment, as there was now "skin" to their name.

The ultimate great miracle of a child being born would undoubtedly be the birth of Christ. Isaiah set the stage for the name that was to come. As he heard from God, Isaiah declared that "a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

So what does a name mean anyway?

In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I asked the following question, "When you were a child, how did you feel about your name?" The following were the top 3 answers...

1. 22% of those polled said that they didn't go by their real name, but a nickname instead.
2. Another 22% of those voting said that they liked their name - it seemed to fit them.
3. 11% voted and said that they had a common name and it made them feel common.

What does your name say about you? Is there a special meaning behind your name...are you named after someone or were you given your name because of some special memory or thought?

Isaiah reported that the Son born of a virgin would be called Immanuel which would mean "God is with us." In the human eye, it is difficult to believe someone can be with us when we cannot physically see them.

When I worked with that sales rep, even though I did not come face to face with him for a long period of time, I knew he was real because I talked with him day in and day out. To know the name of Christ, to fully understand that Immanuel is God with us ... we must spend time with Him day in and day out.

When we put our trust and faith in the unseen, we will become like that boy in the story and we will believe that God is truly with us ALL of the time.

Wednesday Weekly Word is a weekly post devoted to my thoughts and insights on a personal study I am doing. Right now I am looking at the truths and prophecies of Christ. I pray that you will put your trust in the promise that God gave us ...that "God is with us!"

YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL...please take time to vote in this weeks poll. It is located on the side bar of the blog. Your opinion really does matter and you will find the results of the poll in next weeks post on WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD!