All idolatry is slavery, because to be kept by anything less than God is to be diminished. Wise and majestic elephants jingling bells for ringmasters. Lions pacing against the glass. Captive beauty is prostitution. In my aunt’s family, typical local Chinese, the daughters weren’t called by name, but by number. My dear aunt answers to “A-sup” or “Suppie” — Number Ten. While culturally common for that generation, what an illustration of diminishment. To be counted but not named. Collected.To be named is to be distinguished, expressed as a unique value and glory. How different God’s kingdom is; the scriptures have constant promises of our names. Jesus is forever giving his people names, even affectionate nicknames like the "Sons of Thunder" (in my mind akin to "you wascally wabbits!"). After his resurrection in the garden, he says, “Mary!” and only then she recognized him. Just prior to Peter’s trial of testing, Jesus speaks with compassion and urgency, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail…” Talk about Jesus imparting personal value and belief in an individual. Our captors never do that.
