What's in a name?

Names… They’re a funny thing. We have no control over what they end up being. It all depends on our parents or whoever names us. When someone knows our name we feel important or just glad they took effort to remember it. Someone I know once told me that when he was in high school he would go through the annual and memorize people’s names so he could call them by name.  I always thought that was a little odd but it makes sense. We like it when someone knows our name maybe even a little overwhelmed, especially when we think it’s someone that does not even know we exist. Sometimes we do things to protect our name.  There are times I won’t do something because I don’t want my name associated with that.  Other times I’m just really careful how I handle things. Sometimes I’m not and it doesn’t turn out so well.  At these times, I spend a lot more time trying to make my name right again.

I never realized how hard my name is to say until Peru and the fact that my name was not properly pronounced for 2 years.  I often went by Elena (Spanish equivalent) but usually people called me Helen or my absolute favorite was my landlord calling me Hellem. Yeah, I lived in the apartment for over a year and when we communicated through email I always signed my name. There was no reason for this Hellem nonsense but it makes for a good laugh. One of my favorite things is when kids learn my name.  It usually takes a while because my name is not the easiest. There have been lots of little ones in my life lately and hearing them say my name just makes my heart smile!

No matter how great it is to have little kids or that person you didn’t think knew you were alive to know your name the greatest thing is that God knows our names. We are known by God!  It’s not just a passing by, “Hey, how’s it going?” He knows me! He knows me on an intimate level. He knows my life. He knows my deepest desires and secrets. The same way he knew Abraham and David, He knows me. Wow! The truly amazing part is that he wants me to know him in the same way. 

By being a believer, we carry Christ’s name. What a privilege and honor. We are his namesake. There are too many times that I forget this. I forget that God knows me and I am his daughter. I am no longer an orphan but I’m adopted. I am his namesake. It’s not just my name I need to protect but His too. To know Christ is the essence of being Christian.

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake. Psalm 79:9