YOU HAVE WORTH by Stacey Thacker
I have a rather unusual maiden name. I was a
child of the seventies, and my name didn’t begin
to hint at my current career as a Christian author.
Instead, it screamed “rock star groupie.” Let’s just
say that when I put it on social media recently, my
friends who hadn’t known me growing up had a
good laugh.
I was a Stoner.
What my new friends didn’t know was that,
growing up, my maiden name gave me certain
privileges. At one store in town, I was more
than a customer. I could walk in anytime and be
guaranteed a warm welcome. The salespeople
knew me and would often let me come behind
the counter and “help” them. It wasn’t unusual for
them to lead me over to the girls’ clothing section,
point out an outfit that had just arrived, and pull
down my size. They knew it by heart. With my
mom’s nod, the outfit would be put in a special
bag just for me. The bag also happened to have
my last name on it. They were personal like that.
Probably the best part of my last name was
that it gave me access to the secret place in the
back of the store. I could (and often did) run past
the perfume counter and shoes and go straight to
the desk where the boss man sat. He was always
impeccably dressed in a suit and tie, busy working
some deal or going over the sales for the day. But
since I was a welcomed guest, he never minded
my interruptions. Usually, he would uld ask if I had
had
found a new outfit and whether my y mom was with
with
me. Sometimes, if he wasn’t too busy, he’d walk
with me through the store and point oint out the best
best
of what had come that day in shipment.pment. When I
I
was a little older, he gave me a job and usually
stuffed my purse with more items than I sold.
The reason I had special access and the
invitation to be more than a customer at that store
is that my name was not only on the bag, it was
also on the store marquee. My granddad owned
that store and several others across the state. I
carried his name when I walked into the store and
everywhere else I went in town. So you see, not
many people laughed about it back then. Growing
up a Stoner was a big deal, but I didn’t realize that
for a long time. In fact, I was shocked when I
realized not everyone had a well-known last
name like mine. It was so normal for me
because I was born into it.
16 kojministries.org Issue 1 2018
You were born into a family that’s a big deal
too. Long ago, before God laid the foundations
of the world, He was thinking about you and me
and how much He loved us. Ephesians 3:15 ESV
tells us that we receive our name from the Father,
from whom “every family in heaven and on earth
derives its name.” He decided from the beginning
of time to adopt us as His children through His
only Son, Jesus, and to write His name over our
hearts.
Do you know how He felt about that? He
delighted in doing so. His plan was for us to be
part of His special family. Being part of His family
brings with it blessings of untold worth, gifts we
get to experience now and forever, and more
importantly, access to our heavenly Father that no
one can hinder.
“Who am I” is a question we often ask. Many
of us have sought the answer to this question
fervently, and we’ve probably looked to the
opinion of others for a clue. Maybe we read selfhelp
books to try to answer it, or maybe we search
social media for someone we want to be like and
imitate them. Too often, we come away feeling as
though we don’t measure up—mostly because we
believe the lie that we have to be “enough” in the
first place. But what does God have to say about
it? Knowing His heart for us will make a world of
difference in how we view ourselves and live out
our story the way He planned for us to from the
beginning of time.
So, what does He say about us? We are blessed.
Chosen. Blameless. No longer slaves. Free.
Doesn’t that make you want to cry a little bit?
When was the last time someone called you
blessed? Has anyone reminded you lately that you
are free? Oh, sweet friend, you are His. You carry
His name. You are all these things and more.
Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us
in Christ with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly
places, even as he chose us
in him before the foundation
of the world. . .In love he
predestined us for adoption
to himself through Jesus
Christ. . .In him we have
redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the
riches of his grace, which he
lavished upon us.
Ephesians 1:3–10 ESV
8
usually
ccess mer at randdad owned
ross the I
to and
not
k dn’t that
cked I
al me
earth
beginning
our
* Parts of this article are
repurposed with permission
by Harvest House Publishers
and taken from Stacey’s
book, Is Jesus Worth It?
Igniting Your Faith
when You Feel
Like Quitting.
/kojministries.org