Recognizing when He calls ME by name...

"Woman" he said "why are you crying? Who is it that you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, " Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have taken him and I will go get him." Jesus said to her, "Mary" She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic "Rabboni" (which means Teacher). John 20:15-16

Some of you may know that over the past month or so I have been doing an in depth study on the book of John for my personal quiet time. This journey has been long, painful at times, hard but most of all SO very refreshing for my personal faith walk with my Lord. I have truly come to rediscover and meet my Saviour in a new and fresh way like never before...It's been AWESOME!

Through this study there have been so many things that have hit me square in the face for the first time. Things that I have read or skimmed over so many times in the Word and yet haven't really digested or reflected on them much; however NONE has hit me as hard as these two simple verses. I have literally been kind of "high-centered" here for the past few days.

The thing that has hit me is this: Mary KNEW Him when He called her by name. It wasn't His appearance, it wasn't his smell, or anything but simply the way in which He said her name. Picture the scene with me if you will. Mary has come to the Garden or as we would call it the cemetary. She is basically wanting to visit the grave of Jesus... She is in mourning, sad, trying to make sense of this awful and cruel death that has taken place. As she is walking toward the tomb, she notices that this GIGANTIC stone is rolled away and the grave is open! When she gets there - she looks in and HE IS GONE!!! Ok, so let's just stop there for a moment - dead person, she saw him buried, is like vanished from the grave...not there, GONE. Personally, I am not sure what my reaction would be...call the police? run for help? scream!??? Not sure but I know I would be freaking!!!

Mary...softly cries. She is mourning the loss of her Teacher, her Friend, her Master all over again. Can you feel her pain? I think I can. Then, in the midst of her sorrow comes this man asking why she is crying? Who are you looking for? The Scripture here doesn't say that she looked up...so perhaps while her head is down in her sobbing she makes a logical assumption. The gardener must have seen her and came over. She asks him where they have taken Jesus...again we aren't told that she looked up, afterall she is broken and sorrowful! I don't know about you but when I am overcome with grief, my head is down in my hands crying.

"Mary" that is all He has to say. Something about the way in which the Saviour said her name made all the difference. She recognized who she was talking to, she KNEW that voice, no one else said her name just the way the Rabboni or Teacher did. Isn't that the case with us? I know there is NO ONE that says my name quite the way my Daddy does when he calls to me. I know there is NO ONE that says my name the quite the way my husband does when he tells me he loves me or the way my kids say "Mom" when they are in need of me...and there is ABSOLUTELY NO ONE who can say my name like Jesus My Lord!

Yet, as much as it caught me that she knew Him when He said her name, I had to ask myself this: would I TRULY recognize Him if He called to me in the midst of my chaos? In the midst of my busy-ness of life? In the midst of my selfish agenda? Or would I be so caught up in my life and schedule that I would miss my Saviour saying "Ronnie"? You see, I think Mary knew Him SO well, SO intimately, had spent so much time with Him that she absolutely with out a doubt knew that voice! She was in a quiet place, where she had come to be with him (even if she believed him dead), she had no distractions, nothing else to consume her but HIM! I don't know about you, but THAT is the way I want to know my Saviour. I don't want to be so caught up in the craziness of this life and schedules and agendas that I would miss the way HE says my name.

Here's the truth: Jesus is calling each of us by name. Each and every day He is longing to meet with us, to reveal Himself to us just the way He did that morning in the Garden to Mary. The question we have to answer: are WE going there to be with Him? Are we taking time each and every morning to seek Him, to listen for His voice? Or are we too busy to stop by the Garden and meet Jesus?

To be honest with you, today was a day that I had to literally make myself sit in the Garden. At this very moment, I have a HUGE pile of laundry in my living room, I have a real estate appraisal to type for work, I have dinner to figure out for my family, there is my room to pick up, lessons for Wed night to plan, etc...I started to sort the laundry and I heard "Ronnie"...that voice calling my name saying "Come, meet with me first." I am so glad I did! I once again saw how Mary stopped at the sound of her name coming from the lips of her Saviour...the difference it made in her life and mine when we hear Him calling!

Take time in the midst of whatever you may be doing and listen: He IS calling YOUR name too in a way that only He can!