Hello, my name is……

Everyday we walk around with invisible name tags.  People choose to fill in the blank with what they think you are.  You choose to fill in the blank with how you see yourself.  There’s a song by Matthew West that’s really been on my heart lately called “Hello, my name is…”  that talks about this.  My first thought when  I heard the song was, “You can’t let your past sins define you.”  I do believe this is partially what was meant when he wrote the song, but I think he meant something else to.  The world tries to define us by our weaknesses, and by our circumstances.

When Landon was first diagnosed the doctors tried to fill in his name tag with “2 years life expectancy”.  They tried to fill in the blank with “No hope.”  I feel like in that moment God looked down and said, “No.” Because you know what God saw on that invisible name tag? Child of the One True King.  He didn’t see statistics, or prognosis. He looked at Landon and said “That is My child, and I have bigger plans for his life than any doctor could ever imagine.”

When I think back on how life was when Landon was first diagnosed, it was scary. If you’ve seen an insurance commercial, or watched the Olympics, you’ve heard the Phillip Phillips song “Home”.  (I’m full of song references today 🙂 ) In case you haven’t, here are the lyrics:

Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home

Settle down, it’ll all be clear
Don’t pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you’re not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home

That’s how this journey with SMA has been.  Things that are now second nature used to scare me to death.  I can remember a time when the thought of suctioning Landon would make me weak in the knees.  I’ve recently overcome my fear of changing his shirt.  I used to not check every place of business I visited for handicap accessibility and plug ins. I didn’t put so much thought into whether or not it was flu season.  Now those things are habit.  In the beginning of this journey it was like being shoved into the deep end of the pool without knowing how to swim.  It took everything we had just to stay afloat.  Then it was like God stretched out His hand and said “I’m right here. I haven’t forgotten. You are still My child.  I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.” Over time we’ve learned to doggie paddle without thinking about it.

This post may seem a bit scattered, but I promise I have a point. No matter how hopeless the circumstance you’re facing is, and no matter how many times the world tries to define you by it, remember one thing.  The only person who can really fill in that invisible name tag?  His name is Jesus, and He had that name picked out along time ago. So the next time you feel like your circumstance is defining you, and the Devil tells you that you are nothing more than your weakness, remind him of your name. Hello, my name is LeeAnna, and I am a child of the One True King