My Favorite Word Is a Name

When I think about my favorite word, a lot of good ones come to mind. Words like grace, patience, faith, and love all hold incredible weight. They shape the way I try to live and the way I try to teach. But when I step back and ask myself which word truly defines my life, the answer is simple: Jesus.

Without Him, none of those other words matter. Grace is just a concept without the One who embodied it on the cross. Patience doesn’t take root in me apart from the Spirit who grows it. Faith and love are empty ideals unless they’re grounded in the Savior who makes them real.

I met Him personally in 1984, and from that moment on, nothing that mattered in my life has happened without Jesus at the center of it. Every joy, every turning point, every ounce of hope I have is tied back to Him. He has been constant through change, faithful when I’ve faltered, and present in both triumph and heartbreak.

So yes, I have favorite words. But above all, my favorite word is a name. Jesus. Because every other word that matters flows from Him.

About Douglas Blaine

Capnpen is a writer who was a newspaper and magazine journalist in a previous life. A college journalism major, he now works as an English teacher, but gets his writing fix by blogging about a variety of topics, including politics, religion, movies and television. When he's not working or blogging, Capnpen spends time with his family, plays a little golf (badly) and loves to learn about virtually anything.

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