He asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.”
Luke 1:57-66,80
I know a woman who wanted to call her son “Emmanuel” in memory of her father. Her siblings baulked at the name, and the child was eventually given another. Elizabeth and Zachariah insisted that “his name is John.” Whatever name we are given, however, we are each called to our own vocation or mission.
God has put family members and loved ones in our lives for a reason. We are to help them work out their salvation. They are to help us do the same. As parents and partners, we must constantly remind ourselves of this truth, and continuously seek God’s grace to help us listen and not interfere with and frustrate His plans for those persons in our lives.
Many times, when our plans fail, our narrow-minded desires make us ‘mute’ to the hand of God in our lives. We should always remember that our plans can change or fail but God’s will remains forever.
May we have the grace to simply respond by uttering praises to God!