"For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men..." Titus 2:11
“See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.” Isaiah 49:16
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"Special Treasure,” written in Malayalam, the language of Kerala.
The name has a lovely tone to it. Nakusa is the name given to thousands of little baby girls every year in north India. Beneath the rhythm of the six letters though is a meaning that poisons the life path of the innocent. The name means “unwanted” in Marathi, the language of Maharashtra. It is given to the little infant girl in the believe that it will insure that the next baby will be a boy.
Often times, it is not the choice of the mother or father. Tradition, family pressures and superstition play more a part than the lack of love of the parents, particularly the mother who often grieves over the same neglectful abuse done to a daughter that was visited on her. Along with the stigma to the child is the oft times regret of what the parents did to the child through the name, especially when the promised boy child does not arrive. There is enough guilt to go around for all when an innocent child is labeled Nakusa – “Unwanted.”
Would it be too simplistic to draw a parallel to so many other unwanted’s today?
Every day in America…
- 40,000 children are physically attacked at school.
- 70% of pornography winds up in the hands of children.
- 3,288 children run away.
- 2,989 children see their parents divorce.
- 1,849 children are abused or neglected and five die each day.
The list of the abuses never lessens and is always increasing. In other words, the name Nakusa becomes more common everyday. You know one of these children. Very likely, you have felt the sting of Nakusa yourself. Would it surprise you that God’s name for you is very different?
….the Lord your God has chosen you to be His own special treasure. Deuteronomy 7:6
….Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’ Hosea 1:10
….Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1
I was a small boy when I learned to pray. In fact, I do not remember a time in life when I did not have an almost daily awareness of God. I thought of God as being very big, very old, very kind and very distant. I knew God to be real just like I knew Him to be separated from me. I could pray to Him but there was never a knowing of this Old Giant who sat at the top of what seemed like a mountain of white steps leading to His throne. In my mind, I was at the bottom of those steps always looking up.
A day came when the God that I knew to be real also became needed. I had created a chasm, a gulf that grew between the bottom of those steps and my life until there was nothing left but fear. Without knowing God, there was little left but fearing Him to the point of trying my best to distance myself and make peace with Him at the same confusing time.
The fear grew and grew until one day I was offered a solution. If I would stop trying to run and instead plea for mercy undeserved, Jesus would appeal to His Father on my behalf. I was told that Jesus’ life was given to bridge the divide between a holy God and the mess I had made of my life. As genuine as God had seemed to a little five year old who prayed, “now I lay me down to sleep” the realization of God at that moment changed my pain into healing, every sin into forgiveness, and my fear into the safety of His loving hands.
How do I know there is a God who loves you the same way? I cannot deny someone that I actually know. God cannot be a fantasy if He rescued me, changed me and loved me everyday since. And you can also know how deeply and completely God loves you if you come to that throne on the terms of the One who sits on it. It is as simple and profound as life can get.
“See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands”… The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. Isaiah 49:32, Deut. 33:27
So here I am, no longer Nakusa, Unwanted, but inscribed on the palm of the hand that created the world. “Inscribed” means indelibly etched and every time He catches a glimpse of that hand, He thinks of me. I do not understand it but neither do I have to because I have come to know His love that has set me free. His bible is filled with the promises that the One who loves me will never leave me and never again leave me alone.
You can know that acceptance as well. It will mean more than a name change because it is a life change. Jesus stands ready to take you to the throne and what you will find is the overwhelming love found in the palm of His loving hands.
Unwanted will be in the past, Nakusa no more.
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