The names we give our kids have significance and meaning whether we recognize it or not. We choose our children names for reasons like, “I wanted my son’s name to command respect, so I named him Sir”, and sometimes we name our kids to honor a family member. True story, I was named Sylvia because that’s the name of my Dad’s favorite sister. It wasn’t until I was much older that I learned she was named Sylvia in honor of my granddad whose middle name is Sylvester”.
Sometimes people repeat the names in the family like James Jr, or James II, or James III, because it’s the family tradition that the first son gets the first name of the patriarch. Some parents name their kids after a color or plant like Blue Ivy or their favorite car Mercedes or Porsche. Some name their children after aspects of music like Aria or Melody. A colleague of mine named his son after his in-laws wine label and a lady I met told me her father named her Crescendo which is the high point of a song. There are so many reasons we name our kids the way we do.
But what’s in a name and more importantly, what are we declaring when we give someone a name? It’s important to understand names have meaning and impact.
I know of a child who was named Satan by his parents. For a lot of people, the name Satan is synonymous with the enemy of mankind. That name carries the negative connotation deceiver, demon, pure evil, and one who is hellhound. I don’t know about you but I think that name is a hard one to carry at any age. I heard of another child who was named (pardon the colorful language) A$$hole (pronounced assh-o-lee). Her name was so offensive and detrimental that a judge required the parents to change the baby’s name. Can you imagine the pain that child would have had to endure if she had to carry that name until she was old enough to change it herself? More importantly, can you imagine the emotional and psychological damage she would have felt once she realized her parents thought of her in that way? Names mean something!
I recall a Biblical story about Jacob and his wife Rachel’s second pregnancy in Genesis chapter 35. The backstory is Rachel couldn’t get pregnant for years. When their first child was born they were overjoyed and very proud of their son - he was truly prized above all of Jacob’s children with his other wife and concubines. Jacob and Rachel were shaken to their core when they were told their dearly loved and favored son was killed by a wild animal. Just like that, Rachel was childless again.
Some time later, Rachel was pregnant again. She experienced serious complications during labor and Rachel knew she was going to die. In her last moments, she named her newborn son Ben-oni meaning “son of my sorrow”. We can understand Rachel’s feelings, right? She experienced the lost of her first son in a horrible sudden death, and now she would not be able to watch her second son grow up either. Her sorrow was indescribably deep and her son’s name reflected how she felt. Rachel gave her son a name marking her sorrow and disappointment. Fortunately, little Ben-oni’s dad renamed him. Instead of son of my sorrow, he was named Benjamin meaning “son of my right hand”. Jacob intimately understood the power of a name. He knew when his son heard his name, he would remember his value to his dad, not the deep sorrow his dying mother felt.
When I ask this question, I’m not (necessarily) asking you about your legal name. I’m asking you, “What have people called you or (more importantly), what are the voices in your head naming you? Do hear the names Failure, Unloved, Unwanted, Mistake, Ugly, Alone, Poor, or Stupid? Perhaps the names you hear are “Victim, Weird, Outcast, Unpopular, Unattractive or Not-Enough. Maybe your hear the name “Bad kid” or “Just like your Dad” or even “Why can’t you be more like ___?” Like the name Ben-oni, these negative names can have a detrimental impact and a lasting stigma on you.
God Has Another Name for You!
Here is the good news and more importantly here is the truth!
God has another name for you! Like Jacob did for his son, God doesn’t leave you with the names put on you by the words or actions of others nor does he leave you with the names brought on by your past (or present mistakes). He loves you and he wants you to remember what He thinks about you.
Right now, God calls you...
A Son, a Daughter, Priceless, a Friend of God, an Heir of God and Joint Heir in Christ, An Overcomer, Worthy, Righteous in Christ, a Pearl of Great Price, Beautiful, More than a Conqueror, Victorious, Never Forsaken, Ordained, Pre- Destined, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Foreknown, Called, Justified, Loved, Accepted in the Beloved.....His!
Those names have the ultimate significance because The Father, The Creator, The One who was before the beginning and after the ending sees you as the priceless creation that you are and He personally wants you to remember your significance to Him. You are so loved by God that He sent his Son to die for you.
You are called to be a blessing, called to bring Him glory, called to be full of His Spirit, called to reflect the Light of His Glory - the Light of His son Jesus. That’s what your name is my friend. That’s who you are! It’s so important that you hold on to the truth of how God sees you and what your Heavenly Father calls you! The truth is this: Your name and your destiny are tied up in what God says about who you are and your value to him. He is the giver of your name my friend.
You, my dear friend, are called His!
