As my 33rd birthday recently came and went, I was uncharacteristically peaceful about the uncertain direction of my future. Although today I know more about where I'm heading, when I started this entry, I didn't have a clue. I was still in the process of praying and trying to understand what had transpired as my best laid plans came unglued. Even now, I know things can change in an instant, and I leave behind me a trail of incomplete projects, manuscripts, and blueprints, yet I know each article of unfinished business is a piece to my life's greater puzzle and God's holy purpose. All too often over the years I've allowed myself to be swept away with who I am in the eyes of fellow men and women rather than resting in whose I am through Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:10). As the days go by, however, I'm discovering a new confidence in Him that is increasingly unshakable by my life's unknown future and course. This steadiness was further cemented by an almost unnoticeable verse in the book of 1 Chronicles. In chapter four, we are given insight into the family lines of Judah and Simeon, but in verse 38, we're told that "these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their father’s house increased greatly." All of a sudden, I was engrossed by the four little words "those mentioned by name," as I wondered who wasn't mentioned at all. What was so special about those mentioned by name, and at the end of the day who do I want to hear say my name?
