Known by Aubrey Sampson

Known
by Aubrey Sampson

ISBN-13: 9781641583084
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group
Released: September 7th 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Names help us know that we belong and to whom we belong. The names you believe about yourself impact how you live, how you love, and how you move and bear witness to the gospel. God has true names that he speaks over you and wants you to hear. But we also carry other names--painful, damaging names that we have spoken over ourselves or that others have branded on us. Too often, in times of low self-worth, grief, or failure, we exchange our God-given identity for those false names. Known invites you to understand and embrace what it means to be created and named in the image of God.


My Review:
Known talked about how accepting God's names for you can free you from the hurtful, untrue names you've been told and change how you live. I appreciate that the author used Scripture both for supporting verses as well as examples of name changes. The author made good points about names and frequently used examples from her own life showing how a new name or a new understanding of a name change her. For example, she felt ashamed about being "Needy" until she realized that we're created to need God. She talked about finding the name at the root of an issue that you struggle with and how you can be transformed and healed when you're renamed. She also pointed out how humankind bears the image of God and our worth comes from God.

I must admit that I'd expected the focus to be on actual names given to all believers in the Bible, but many of her examples were personal names. Things that people hurtfully name you and how God, through prayer, can give you a new name. Unfortunately, the author's wandering style often left me wondering what the main point of a chapter was meant to be. I was also distracted by the author switching to present tense to describe past events (as people usually do that in past tense). Overall, though, I'd recommend this book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.