I'm switching it up a little today. Instead of a Word Game, I'm going to explore other words.
Namely, Names.
Did you ever notice how names in the Bible had really profound meanings? How Biblical figures' names reflected their character?
For example, Adam means Man. Fitting, since he was the very first man, don't you think?
Remember Gideon? He was afraid to obey God, but ended up conquering a massive army. Guess what his name means? Great Warrior.
How about Abraham? The name Abraham means Father of Nations. Sound like a promise God made to him?
Or some less-noble names. Isaac means Laughter. His mother named him that because she laughed when she heard the prophecy that she would have a baby.
And Jacob, which means Supplanter or Deceiver. Think about how he lived up to that one!
In America, we have a tendency to name children based on what we like, without necessarily consdering what the name means or if it has any significance.
Have you ever thought about your name? Or how your name fits you? Whether or not there is a legacy attached to your name that you could live up to?
My oldest son's name means Healer. Already I see in him a sweet and tender spirit. He is sad when others are sad and wants to comfort them. Could it be that he will live up to his name and be a healer of people's hearts?
My second son's name means Praised One. With his precocious nature, it seems like Praised One is something he will have no trouble fulfilling.
My daughter's name means Wild Goat. She certainly lives up to that, as she climbs atop furnture and jumps like she's invincible. The reason I love her name, though, is because of the legacy behind it. The woman in the Bible for whom she is named was a strong, powerful woman who fought for God's army, even though she was not native to Israel.
I started thinking about this based on something a friend of mine said. This friend makes up nicknames for his close friends based on their personality. At one point he said, "Names have power if you own them."
Do you own your name?
His nickname for me is Dragon Slayer. Based in part on the topic of my book, but also because that's how he sees elements of my personality. My name means "Victorious," a fact that my friend was not aware of when he nicknamed me Dragon Slayer. Is that a coincidence? Or is there maybe something I should learn from that?
God speaks truth into our lives through many different channels. In pondering my name and my nickname, I've done a lot of thinking about what that means for my life, and what God has called me to do. I believe God is preparing me for a battle--whether spiritual or something else, I don't know--but something is coming and God is using this to prepare me, and also to assure me that through Him I am Victorious.
What about your name? Do you know what it means? Do you have a legacy to follow? Do you have a purpose or a character quality to strive for? Or is it just a name?
If you want to look up the meaning and origin of your name, try this website.
F, H & S Part Two Continued Again
3 years ago
9 comments:
My given namne is Dennis. We won't discuss my Facebook Nickname, thank you. And, for me, my name has great significance. It is the German, French and English derivation of the Greek God Dionysus - the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, the god of the "epiphany", "the god that comes". Avily will understand why that is significant.
Dennis also comes from Denys or Denis, the medieval French forms of DIONYSIUS. Saint Denis was a 3rd-century missionary to Gaul who was beheaded in Paris. He is credited with converting the Gauls to Christianity and is considered the patron saint of France. More significantly for me, Avily, St. Denys is the "father" of Christian Mysticism.
That's neat that you feel like God is leading you to something. :-)
My name is Ruth Ann which means "friend" and "grace" or "favor". I had to search a bit for the Ann since there were variations of it.
Sweet. I LOVE that Gideon is warrior. I sooo love that name and might need to snag that one for a novel. :-)
Awesome!
Great topic! I think names are definitely signficant! My name means "gazelle" and I'm 5'9", so, yes, I am long-legged--but not very graceful! "Tabitha" was mentioned in Acts 9:36 and was known for giving to the poor. Hmm. I hope I can live up to that by caring for those in need.
Andrew (my hubby and son's name) means "manly" and "courageous" or "brave." They are definitely all of that!! Drew has even commented about how confident and fearless Andrew is!
Ethan (our other son) means "solid, enduring." Ethan is absolutely HUGE and VERY strong and solid! So far, it fits him.
If we ever have a baby girl, I have already picked out "Kate Annelise," which would mean "pure and gracious." Love it! :)
Great topic...I think many parents today don't take the meaning of the child's name into account when naming them. Seems to me that we should be a little more careful, "just in case" they DO grow into their name!! :)
P.S. no doubt, God is calling you to something--it'll be exciting to see what it is!!
For some reason Blogger wouldn't let my delightful new friend Melanie Faith post her comment, so I'll post it for her.
Melanie Faith:
"My name means "Dark Lady," in Greek. The dark part I take to mean reflective as well as deep--and I'm definitely a reflective, "deep thinker" type.
;-) As a writer, I probably express and emote more on paper/... Read More computer screen than in real life, as far as expressing my deepest hopes and thoughts. The lady part I try for, but I think it does inform me somewhat and matches the me I am pretty well. :) A great topic!" :)
Ok, I'll discuss mine since my name has more meaning than most people probably think. :)
Tiffany is of Greek origin, coming from the word theophany, which means appearance of God. The term theophany has acquired a specific usage for Christians and Jews with respect to the Bible: It refers to the manifestation of God to man; the sensible sign by which the presence of God is revealed.
It is also where the word epiphany comes from as well. Epiphany is a Christian feast day which celebrates the revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ.
My middle name, Michelle, is Hebrew in origin, feminine version of the name Michael, after the archangel, which means "who is like God".
Of course, given I was born in the 70s; these were just both popular names at the time. Despite how froofy they sound, they actually have a cool meaning to them. :)
It was pointed out to me that I forgot the question mark in the meaning of Michael/Michelle, "who is like God?" which does change the meaning significantly if people didn't realize it had a question mark. :)
Also, for those who didn't know, the Feast of Epiphany is celebrated the 12th day after Christmas (Jan 6th), hence where we get the term, "Twelve Days of Christmas" :)
Nikole (originally spelled Nicole) means "Victorious Army." I do own it. My life has shown a victorious life in overcoming difficulty.
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