Show Notes
READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20; 2 CORINTHIANS 2:12-17
I never liked my name. The meaning of Sourabhi is sweet fragrance. There were innumerable reasons for not liking my name, but the major ones were: (1) No one could ever pronounce it properly. Every time it was called out, I wished I could disappear. And (2) I constantly ran out of space when writing it on forms, especially at school.
My nickname is Mini, and I loved it because it was short, crisp, and didn’t need much explanation. In college, almost everyone knew me as Mini.
My dislike for my name continued through my teenage years and into adulthood. It’s just that, as an adult, I learned to cope with it. Whenever someone asked my name, I would pause, wondering if the person wouldn’t be able to catch it the first time and if I’d have to repeat it. I’m an introvert, so any attention made me uncomfortable, especially when it was about my name.
I recently started blogging, and when I had to write my introduction, I didn’t expect God to meet me there. As I typed out Sourabhi, the Holy Spirit highlighted something I had never truly noticed before, the meaning of my name. It touched me deeply. I sensed that—more than the pronunciation or the struggle to make people understand—what truly stood out was its meaning. Fragrance. A word I’d read and heard countless times in Scripture. And that’s when my love for my name began.
In 2 Corinthians 2:14, Paul says that God uses us, His people, to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. So just ponder this: the parts of you that feel awkward or unwanted are also carrying His presence. Would you accept this truth, or would you still dislike those parts of yourself? • Sourabhi Sircar
• Have you ever wished something about you was different—maybe your name or a part of your personality, appearance, or background? What has made it hard for you to accept that part?
• Jesus loves every part of us, and He invites us to share His love, His truth, and His hope with all that we are! What might it look like for you to trust Him with the things about yourself that you usually try to hide? How might He use those areas to reveal His presence to others? Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus about this, asking Him to help you see yourself as He sees you.
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14 (WEB)
More from Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens
READ: MATTHEW 6:19-21; JOHN 3:16-17; 14:1-4; REVELATION 19:6-9; 21:1-5
READ: PSALM 139:1-4; ROMANS 5:6-8; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 We curate the caption and crop the distraction, Chasing the applause of a virtual reaction. We polish the exterior to hide the interior, Afraid that our true selves are somehow inferior. But in the quiet, when the screen goes black, We feel the heavy weight of the perfection we lack. See, Jesus didn’t come for your highlight reel, He came for the brokenness you try to conceal. No filter could cover the crimson cost of sin, So He opened His arms to let the rebels in. On the cross, He was exposed, stripped, and bruised, So the real you would never have to be refused. He was buried in the dark so you could walk in the light, Tearing the veil to make your future bright. The grave couldn’t hold Him, the stone rolled away, Giving you mercy that is new every day. You are not a brand, a post, or a trend, You are chosen, beloved, and called His friend. So drop the performance, let the pretense cease, And rest in the rhythm of His perfect peace. • Ty Scott King • Why do you think it’s sometimes easier to show people a curated version of ourselves rather than who we really are? What parts of yourself do you try to curate, edit, and hide away? • Jesus sees the unedited version of you, and He loves you so much that He died and rose again for you. How could this truth affect the way yo view your mistakes, flaws, or things you just don’t like about yourself? • Are there any areas of your life where you feel like you’re putting on a performance instead of trusting God’s grace? Consider spending some time in prayer, laying these things down at Jesus’s feet and asking Him to help you see yourself the way He sees you. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)