A young boy loved to play Superman. Every morning, Tommy, who was three years old, would go to his mother and ask her to pin a bath towel to the back shoulders of his little T-shirt. In his mind, his towel was a red and blue cape, and he was Superman.
So every day, in his cape, his days were packed with excitement and adventure. He was Superman.
Then one day, his mother signed him up for kindergarten. He went to his first day, and his teacher asked Tommy for his name. He answered very politely, “Superman.”
So the teacher smiled and glanced at his mother and said again, “Son, your real name, please.” Once again, Tommy answered, “Superman.” Well, the teacher had to show some authority here and so, with a somewhat stern voice, said, “Now look, son, I have to get the real name for the records.”
Tommy looked around the room and got closer to her and whispered, “Okay, but don’t tell anybody. It’s Clark Kent.” He understood that he was somebody.
The prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
Sometimes we have days when our self-esteem is not very high. It is so important for us to remember that we are somebody, somebody who is important to God, somebody who is deeply loved by our Creator. God has called us by name.