The Names We Carry

Scripture: John 4:17–18 (KJV)

Some names are given at birth. Others are formed over time.

The Samaritan woman likely carried names long before Jesus met her at the well. Some were spoken by others. Some were assumed. Some were silently internalized.

The longer a label sits on your life, the more natural it feels. You stop questioning it. You start answering to it. But not every name you carry belongs to you.

Shame has a way of branding women. It attaches itself to moments of failure, loss, rejection, or disappointment. It whispers that what happened to you — or what you did — is who you are.

But Jesus did not approach the woman at the well using the names society gave her. He approached her as someone worthy of conversation. Worthy of revelation. Worthy of living water.

Today, ask yourself:

What names have I been answering to that God never spoke?

Prayer:

Lord, help me recognize the names I have accepted that did not come from You.