Faith and a Fresh Start

Read Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Names are interesting. My name is Charles. In formal arenas, I have always gone by Charles. Charles is one of those names that lends itself to a number of derivations: Charlie, Chuck, Chas. Upon meeting someone new, as I introduce myself as Charles, they will often ask, “What do you go by?”

Along the way, I have had some funny nicknames: mini-bruit, little Charles (I know these two are hard to imagine – “mini” and “little”), CS and the one that has stuck the longest with a special group of youth – Chachi.

Sarai and Abram needed a new start. God was calling them to be the parents of all those who would come after them. God decided they need a fresh start – a new perspective. So God gave them new names: Sarah and Abraham.

Does a new name really make a difference? Often organizations that have experienced difficult times might change their name to provide a fresh start. While the name itself really does not make the difference, it is the new attitude that comes with the change that has the potential to transform.

In some ways, Abraham and Sarah were the same people they were before. But in many ways they were a new creation. They were becoming the people God created them to be.

Prayer: God of new beginnings, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me. Amen.

Charles Z. Gardner