Change is hard. We all know it. We get tied into a persona, a name, an idea and we one day find that it’s not us anymore. A friend of mine is contemplating changing his domain name. His old domain is edgy and raises eyebrows. The new one is really just his name. For awhile it works to be edgy and new and that guy with the edgy domain, but he has grown beyond that “edgy” name. He is broader, deeper and more alive than the name itself allows for. As a Christian, there’s a place in scripture where it says we will be given new names in Heaven. Our true selves will be revealed to us. That for me is exciting. I am not tied into my identity as a person anymore, but I am tied into my identity in Christ. It’s a whole different way of thinking. If we count our own identities as loss, then we are free to be more ourselves than ever.
CS Lewis makes the statement (I think it’s in Mere Christianity and please pardon the bad paraphrase) that we don’t lose ourselves in Christ to become a bland shell of who we once were. The miracle of our faith is that when we are made more ourselves by the Creator.
My advice to my friend about his domain name was to be authentic. Be yourself and quit trying to fit the mold you created for yourself. You may lose readers, you may gain readers, but ultimately it comes down to you being yourself. If the old name doesn’t fit who you are anymore, then surprise your readers with a more authentic version of yourself.
Well said William. Thanks for the good advice.