I was unpacking my toiletries while visiting my Dad recently when I noticed it. An orange bar of Dial soap sitting unassumingly in one corner of the bathtub.

I smiled.

For as long as I can remember, Dial soap has been a staple product in my parent’s home.

Somewhere, eons ago, they realized that Dial delivered on its promise to make you clean.

So, over the years, those orange bars have faithfully made appearances in their showers, by their kitchen sinks, and in many bathroom soap dishes.

For them, Dial was (and continues to be) a name you can count on; a name that’s trustworthy; a name that’s tried and true.

Just like Jesus has been to me.

Forty years ago this month, I gave my heart to Jesus for the first time. He showed up, when I was a very lost and confused 17-year old, and radically transformed my life.

For the last four decades, I haven’t known another name that has been as trustworthy, faithful, and reliable as His.

No matter where my journey has taken me – through the heartache of divorce, the struggles of single parenting, the challenges of remarriage, the trials of prodigal children, and everything in between – Jesus has been the name I have learned to depend upon.

His name has been the one I’ve whispered in my darkest seasons; thanked in my mountaintop moments; and called upon when life’s storms felt like they’d sweep me away.

His name is the one I’ve spoken when I’ve felt unseen, alone, and forgotten. But it’s also the name I say when I’m standing in the spotlight, receiving applause and adoration.

I can declare with unwavering confidence that His name – that precious name of Jesus – is the One that I can always count on.

David proclaimed it wonderfully in Psalm 20, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (verse 7, NIV)

Jesus. What a trustworthy name.

Jesus. Tried and true.

Jesus. The name above all other names.

Jesus.

Until next time, Grace and Glory!