God Knows My Name

My name Kate, is short for Katherine, a very popular and common name.   For those of you who know me personally, my maiden name is also very common.  Common first name plus common last name equals a very non-unique name that plagued my desire to be original, especially as a teenager.

 When I was three years old my family bought a home on a cute family friendly block in a small town west of Boston, Massachusetts.  We were really fortunate to have children living in so many of the houses on our block, and right next door to us was a family who had a little girl my exact same age.  But more ironically than having a same age neighbor, this little girl had my same first name...and last name!  That's right folks, my newest pal and I had exactly the same name.  When we started elementary school we couldn't even be called "Katie (last initial)".  We had to go by "Katie (middle initial)".

   When I was eight years old my father got a new job in Pennsylvania, so we moved.  Lest you think my days of sharing my name with a close friend were over, you're wrong!  Upon arriving to my first day of the third grade at my very tiny private school, I was introduced to another Kate with my same last name!  What are the odds?

 By the time I reached middle school, I was so desperate for a name to call my own that I began playing around with the spelling of mine.  Kayt, Kaitee, Kait, and finally settling on Kayte.  I spelled my name like that all the way through the eighth grade. In high school both of us Kates played on the same field hockey team and due to our obvious difference in heights, our teammates nicknamed me "Lil Katie" and the other Kate, "Big Katie".  These nicknames stuck all the way through high school and even to this day some of my high school friends still call me that.

 Sharing my name for so many years even effected how my husband and I named our own children.  I nixed many a name because it was ranked too "popular" on the Social Security website.  The funny thing about that is that God actually gave me a husband with a very uncommon last name, a gift I suppose for all the years I spent sharing my name.  Still, I  didn't want my children to have their last initial attached to their common first name in the event there were others with it in their classes;  so we chose less popular ones.

 When I think back to those years struggling to assert myself as an individual, with unique qualities, not the same as someone else, I wish I had these reminders from the Lord:

 "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;  I have called you by name; you are Mine! (Isaiah 43:1 NASB)

And 

 "The LORD called Me from the womb;  From the body of My mother He named Me." (Isaiah 49:1 NASB)

 My name was important.  It was uniquely mine even if it was not unique.  God did not mistake me for someone else.  He always knew my name before it was even given to me.  If I had nothing else in this world, my name could not be taken away from me.

 These promises from God remind me of a song we sing with our campers at Royal Family Kids Camp.  For anyone reading this who doesn't know what that is, Royal Family Kids Camp is a camp for children who are in the foster care system.  Many of them have suffered abuse you couldn't even imagine.  Almost all of them have suffered hurt and neglect.  During their week at camp we seek to build them up in the Lord, teaching them about His love and promises for their life.  One of their favorite songs which is accompanied by an intricate step routine (that almost all of them learn how to do) is called "I Am Not Forgotten".

 I am not forgotten
 I am not forgotten
 I am not forgotten
 God knows my name. 
He knows my name. 

 Light over darkness 
Strength over weakness 
Joy over sadness 
He knows my name 

 Father to the Fatherless
 Friend to the friendless 
Hope for the hopeless 
He knows my name 

 I will praise You 
I will praise You
 For I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

  I am not forgotten
 Never forsaken 

 Israel & New Breed lyrics 

 The fact is that whether we've been cast aside or grown up with plenty, our name is precious to God.  He knows it.  He loves it.  He knew we would have it and it is special to Him.  More special to Him is who we are.  Our name might be forgotten by those around us.  It might be commonplace. It might be cursed by some.  But our name and the person it belongs to is loved by God.  We can count on that.