Over the course of this trip, I have come to realize my most important asset. This asset is not my intelligence, my wardrobe, or my wealth. This asset is my name.
When my name is mentioned, what goes through people’s minds? When people hear the name Lauren Fox, what do they think? People I went to high school might think one thing, and my friends or family might think another. Some of them may laugh because of the foolish things I’ve done, and may refuse to take me seriously because of my past. Labels of “flirt” or “lazy” may pop into mind, all because of sinful behavior from years before. Am I always remembered positively or negatively?
When I think of the name of God, I think of strength, justice, and unity. The name of God stands for truthfulness and faithfulness. He is the Name Above All Names. His name is good, and brings good thoughts with it. The name of God is peaceful and amazing and is a place of rest. He was the word at the beginning. Oh what a beautiful name it is, the name of Jesus!
I want my name to reflect that. To reflect Christ within me, to show Jesus’s work in my heart. Like Saul, called Paul, being saved and turning his life around completely, becoming one of the most talked about authors in the Holy Bible. He was not always called Paul, but only after he was rescued by our God Almighty. After he had that radical change in his life and in his heart, only then was he called Paul. People saw the new creation that Jesus had brought to life in Paul. The goodness in his soul, the light in his life.
When I think of my life as a Christian, a true Christian, I do not think of Lauren Fox. I did not allow the Lord to change me in the ways he wanted to. I did not treat everyone with kindness and compassion, and I did not care for them as Jesus would care for them. As Lauren Fox, I did not live my life in step with Jesus, nor did I care to live like that.
When signing up for this mission trip, I was intentional about introducing myself as Margaret Fox. The reason for this is simple: I am not the same person I was just a couple of years ago, and I do not want my name to have negative influence on people seeing who I have become. To be clear, I am no longer ashamed of who I was in the past. God has taken that shame from me, and for that I am forever grateful. But names are a powerful thing, and for myself, I have found power in the name Margaret and in all that name holds for me. The name holds a new beginning, and new creation, and in a new faith journey. This is who I am, and I am fully embracing it. I love my name and the meaning it holds, and I pray that others will embrace it openly and gracefully.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come – 2 Corinthians 5:17
All the love,
Margaret Fox
