What's in a name?
I was watching football last weekend (I love football, by the way...and one of the reasons my husband loves me!) and I noticed a couple of unusual names on the backs of the jerseys. One was a defensive lineman whose last name is Whimper. That can work, as in "I will make you Whimper!" But I'm sure it created more than a few....ummm....discussions in his younger years.
Then there was the kicker named Succop. Doesn't look so bad until you say it out loud. The on-air commentators, after saying it a few times - "suck-up" - observed that had to grow up knowing how to fight. Not the best name for a professional football player, kicker or otherwise.
Names have always fascinated me. They shape our growing up years and impact our personalities, whether our parents believe it or not. My college friend named Plymouth Rock... and yes, that is his given name... can attest to it. What were his parents thinking? Were they trying to be cute? Did they consider the impact such a name would have on their son? He had to deal with the teasing all of his growing up and adult life. Surely that impacted how he developed and what he thought of himself as he navigated the jokes and questioning looks at every introduction. I would have changed my name for sure.
Which is interesting, because I did exactly that. My given name is Laura. Not a bad name at all. In fact, it follows a family pattern, giving me connection to generations behind me. My grandmother's name was Leola - five letters, begins with an "l", ends with an "a". I share her middle name - Katherine. So my birth name is Laura Katherine. I continued that pattern in naming my daughter, Liana. My issue with my first name came up in junior high school when I was one of five Lauras in my class. Way too confusing. Plus, I was feeling rebellious. So I changed to my middle name, which later got shorted to Kat. It only took nine years for my parents to figure out that I was serious. I think it was printing my wedding invitations under the name Katherine that did it.
Knowing how important names have been to me and others that I know, my husband and I took a great deal of care in naming our children. Not only does Liana's name follow the family pattern on my side, but her name means "vine" in Latin. It reminds us of John 15:5 where Jesus says "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing." We want our daughter to always know that she depends on her Lord always - it's part of her identity.
For our son, Devin, we chose an Irish name as a tribute to his dad's heritage. It means "poet" and harkens back to a day when poets were also warriors. It reminds us of King David, the man after God's own heart, a warrior for God's people and the most prolific poet in Scripture. Being after God's heart, strong and tender at the same time is our dream for our boy. So we wrapped up his name and identity in that.
The Hebrews were great about naming their children as a way of memorializing some characteristic or great moment associated with their birth. Samuel means "asked of God" and honors the Lord who gave Hannah a child after so much waiting. Rachel and Leah had a field day with their boys' names, naming each of them after the emotions and desires they had with each one. Names like Rueben (behold a son!), Simeon (hearing), Levi (joined), Judah (confessor) and Joseph (added) all reflect various stages in the rivalry between the two sisters as the tribes of Israel were born.
Sometimes that practice got a little weird, though. I'm not sure I would name my children Mahlon (pining) and Kilion (sickness) like Naomi did, no matter how bad the famine of the time was. Seems like you're destining your child to tough times, maybe like Whimper or Succop or Plymouth Rock. I think I'm more of an optimist than Naomi.
So how wonderful is it that God gives us the name Christian? It means "little Christ" quite literally. Our identity wrapped up in Him and representing Him to a messed up world. It's a name I don't live up to nearly as often as I'd like. I choose instead to name myself, just like I did in junior high. And the names I choose aren't nearly so pretty, like "selfish" or "driven" or "fearful." Even other names like Mom or Wife are incomplete as identities for me, and I often long to be something more (or sometimes less!) But God calls me His child, a little chip off the ol' block, a Christian. A name that continually calls me higher. Kinda cool.
So what's your name? What does it say about you and how does it shape who you are?
Then there was the kicker named Succop. Doesn't look so bad until you say it out loud. The on-air commentators, after saying it a few times - "suck-up" - observed that had to grow up knowing how to fight. Not the best name for a professional football player, kicker or otherwise.
Names have always fascinated me. They shape our growing up years and impact our personalities, whether our parents believe it or not. My college friend named Plymouth Rock... and yes, that is his given name... can attest to it. What were his parents thinking? Were they trying to be cute? Did they consider the impact such a name would have on their son? He had to deal with the teasing all of his growing up and adult life. Surely that impacted how he developed and what he thought of himself as he navigated the jokes and questioning looks at every introduction. I would have changed my name for sure.
Which is interesting, because I did exactly that. My given name is Laura. Not a bad name at all. In fact, it follows a family pattern, giving me connection to generations behind me. My grandmother's name was Leola - five letters, begins with an "l", ends with an "a". I share her middle name - Katherine. So my birth name is Laura Katherine. I continued that pattern in naming my daughter, Liana. My issue with my first name came up in junior high school when I was one of five Lauras in my class. Way too confusing. Plus, I was feeling rebellious. So I changed to my middle name, which later got shorted to Kat. It only took nine years for my parents to figure out that I was serious. I think it was printing my wedding invitations under the name Katherine that did it.
Knowing how important names have been to me and others that I know, my husband and I took a great deal of care in naming our children. Not only does Liana's name follow the family pattern on my side, but her name means "vine" in Latin. It reminds us of John 15:5 where Jesus says "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing." We want our daughter to always know that she depends on her Lord always - it's part of her identity.
For our son, Devin, we chose an Irish name as a tribute to his dad's heritage. It means "poet" and harkens back to a day when poets were also warriors. It reminds us of King David, the man after God's own heart, a warrior for God's people and the most prolific poet in Scripture. Being after God's heart, strong and tender at the same time is our dream for our boy. So we wrapped up his name and identity in that.
The Hebrews were great about naming their children as a way of memorializing some characteristic or great moment associated with their birth. Samuel means "asked of God" and honors the Lord who gave Hannah a child after so much waiting. Rachel and Leah had a field day with their boys' names, naming each of them after the emotions and desires they had with each one. Names like Rueben (behold a son!), Simeon (hearing), Levi (joined), Judah (confessor) and Joseph (added) all reflect various stages in the rivalry between the two sisters as the tribes of Israel were born.
Sometimes that practice got a little weird, though. I'm not sure I would name my children Mahlon (pining) and Kilion (sickness) like Naomi did, no matter how bad the famine of the time was. Seems like you're destining your child to tough times, maybe like Whimper or Succop or Plymouth Rock. I think I'm more of an optimist than Naomi.
So how wonderful is it that God gives us the name Christian? It means "little Christ" quite literally. Our identity wrapped up in Him and representing Him to a messed up world. It's a name I don't live up to nearly as often as I'd like. I choose instead to name myself, just like I did in junior high. And the names I choose aren't nearly so pretty, like "selfish" or "driven" or "fearful." Even other names like Mom or Wife are incomplete as identities for me, and I often long to be something more (or sometimes less!) But God calls me His child, a little chip off the ol' block, a Christian. A name that continually calls me higher. Kinda cool.
So what's your name? What does it say about you and how does it shape who you are?
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