My Misspelled Birth Certificate
June 28, 2022 by Peter Lundell
Filed under Daily Devotions
By Peter Lundell –
The nurse who recorded my birth couldn’t spell. So am I who I think I am?
There on my life-long-till-the-day-I-die-permanent birth certificate, my middle name is misspelled. And crossed out, with the right spelling squeezed above. What if no one caught that? I’d have gone around all my life with the wrong middle name—or endured a tedious court process to change it.
This person also misspelled my dad’s occupation as “Reverand.” It’s Reverend. And it isn’t even an occupation, it’s a title. My dad was a missionary. Humph.
More dangerous than clueless people who mistake identities are those who damage others and destroy their identities. And sometimes we ourselves might damage others without intending or realizing it.
Kids get hurt. And sometimes they get hurt by adults who act like monsters. The child’s identity gets scarred, or twisted, or crushed. And from the damage often grows a scarred, twisted, or crushed adult. Too often these people live dysfunctional lives and may in turn hurt others. I see these things all the time.
It’s as if someone messed up the person’s birth certificate. God’s intended identity for that person got replaced by a false, destructive one. The false, warped image needs to be changed. That’s what happens in inner healing—and in salvation, spiritual growth, freedom from bondage, and growing into the image of Christ.
To treat the life of faith as boring or legalistic is completely against who Jesus is and what he came for. He came to set us free from the consequences of sin—both our own and others’—and he frees us to become the person God originally intended.
How has God freed you to become a new person?
Or how do you still need to be set free?
“Lord, You are the healer of my body and my heart. I lay aside my fear and pride, open my heart, and say do what only You can do in me. Clean me and restore me into the image you intended….”
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 NIV).
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 NIV).
Peter Lundell, author of Prayer Power and other books, is a writer, pastor, and Bible college teacher. At www.PeterLundell.com you can see his books, subscribe to his inspirational “Connections,” and get free downloads of many articles, parables, and short stories.