I have had many medical appointments since June when I made the decision to have spinal surgery. There were Peri-Op, Pre-Op and several Post-Op appointments. Then came Physical Therapy on the neck and recently for the dizziness and lack of balance.
Checking my calendar this morning I have 14 more appointments between now and the end of the year. Thankfully, all but one are within the same health system.
That health system knows my name, but I must also prove my identity with my birth date. While my medical records have my name and birth date, I am also known by a six-digit number.
Name, birthdate and number are also how the government, credit agencies, insurance companies and other entities know me. There are probably other people with the same name, maybe one also has the same birthdate, so I guess having a number is a good thing in this life.
But there is One who doesn’t need the birthdate, nor a number, to identify me. “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him [Jesus, the Good Shepherd], and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” [John 10:3 NLT]
Jesus, the Good Shepherd doesn’t just know my name, He knows my heart. I am more than a number to Him. I am His. I am a child of God. Such JOY(!) to wake up this morning and know that the King of Kings and LORD of Lords knows me. Amen
