Howdy,
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear … Papa
Happy birthday to you.
When did this happen?
Turning 37.
Turned.
Turning into Papa.
Turned.
Pretty crazy.
Pretty cool.
With three young boys, two that talk and call me Papa as well as “Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad!” and “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” I really didn’t know what they’d sing when it came to the “Happy birthday dear … ”
After dear, I didn’t know what I’d hear.
Then it was there.
To myself, a beat before, I sang a silent, “Papa.” I heard Papa in my own head first.
Embarrassing admission: I couldn’t quite tell you what my wife and boys actually sang individually; taken aback at the whispered lyric in my mind and no doubt a beautiful Papa-Billy-Dad-Daddy cacophony of love and cheer aloud. Fairly sure I heard them all.
JTR — Papa & Mama’s Boys
But I didn’t expect to hear Papa myself, from myself.
Names are big.
Given are great; blessings, beautiful, first-gifts given full of promise and love; lifelong guides and strengths even.
New are transformative; lovely gifts for good (a powerful drug dripping evil if lies believed); redeemed and adopted for blessed belonging and new promise.
Added are gifts bestowed; layers of meaning, responsibility, and purpose; new skin to live in, grow into, and sometimes even shed for expanded capacity as experience and life pushes on and position, wisdom, and care for others bring new names of further fullness and joy enhanced.
Grandpa?!
Hold on now.
37.
This names business makes me think of Scripture’s emphasis on name. There is power in name. And name as gift is eternal. Written into the story of this world. From beyond, to beyond.
God the Father, speaks of giving His people new names (Revelation 2: 17 and other places), an ultimate in uniqueness and awesomeness. Crazy cool, right? Jesus followers get placed on them their greater, eternal name from the Abba God, Papa of all Creation, if we dare come so close (yes! with confidence! Hebrews 4:16).
What else is in the Eternal Name package? My name, my very self — I pray yours as well — is written on the palms of the hands of God (Isaiah 49:16) and “in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 13:8), securely “recorded in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
My children have also taken freedom to give me a new name. First name, Papa. Last name, Look!
Papa is given, it’s new, and added; a gift, and I accept that dynamic, pulsing layer with pride, emotional swells even as I write. It’s the best! For real. I accept the love from my family and for myself. Happy birthday dear … Papa.
Thank you, J, T, and R.
I accept. Even singing Papa to myself.
It’s been given to me.
— Papa Look!
Reading. Writing. Living.
P.S. Seriously, that’s a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
P.S.S. “Expanded Capacity”: I tossed it in above, but I’m feeling another blog post for that idea. It’s a term Sarah picked up from someone, and we’ve felt it, gained it from living it, fear we’re still in it, can see it in fellow travelers and lack of it in others who may get their chance to be expanded and enhanced. Ever had three kids and suddenly only one to watch for the afternoon? What was so hard again about that first one at first?
Everything. Nothing. Ah, this is nice.
Please subscribe to mailing list for the Reading Writing Living journey we’re on and get the goodies that’ll come from time to time with my newsletter. Thank you.