Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Each of us carries many names or titles as it were. At the same time we could be both a father and a son; a confidant and a confessor; an employee and employer. And these roles need not be in conflict, simply filling different roles as needed. There are times when names change simply because the focus of the observer shifts. The White-tipped Dove received its name that way. Formerly known as the White-fronted Dove, this shy species generally prefers to stay hidden in the thick scrub undergrowth it calls home. A common resident in much of Latin America, it barely makes its way into the United States where it is most frequently seen along the Rio Grande. Both names are appropriate enough, white-tipped offering a description of the tail feathers while white-fronted refers to its white forehead. Since the accompanying photograph fails to highlight either of these characteristics, one is left to wonder why the change.
However, there are other times when roles or names seem incompatible. It’s difficult to conceive of a situation where a person in the U.S. Navy would qualify as both a Petty Officer 3rd Class and a Fleet Admiral simultaneously. For the sake of clarity, these terms would be mutually exclusive. But let’s try one that comes closer to home: what about saint and sinner? A greater disparity can hardly be imagined, and yet that’s where we find ourselves – both a saint and a sinner in the same breath. Lest you doubt, Paul addresses the believers a number of times as saints (see 1 Corinthians 9:1 for an example) and you know from the two letters addressed to them their lives were hardly exemplary.
Perhaps this is another example similar to the dove, where the focus of the individual is the determining factor. When I look at myself, or at you for that matter, I’m inclined to see all the warts, blemishes, broken promises, and failures that cumulatively stack up on top of each other. When God looks at me He sees an entirely different image. It’s not just that His vision is so much better than ours, it’s that His love is so much greater than ours. For this reason, those of us who have chosen to make Him Lord of our lives are seen with the robe of His righteousness wrapped around us. We are seen Saints of the Most High.