A Rose by Any Other Name

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I read the novel, Black Beauty as a child.  It is the story of a horse of the same title who through the course of his life had a number of homes and owners.  Each time he changed homes he was given a new name and each time felt as if his identity had been robbed.  What’s in a name?  Do names matter?  Why do we have names?  Sometimes I think about weird things and weirdly I have recently been thinking about the importance of a name.

Genesis 2 tells us that one of the first jobs given to the first man was to assign names to the animals. This indicates that God recognized importance in having a word to identify his creatures. Throughout history it seems that children were named very intentionally with their names being determined specifically because of meaning. That is still true in much of the world. When I was working among the people of my neighborhood in Kolkata I was surprised to learn that they don’t name their children at birth. Instead girls are called Choti, little girl, and boys are called Chota, little boy. The parents observe their children as they grow and two or three or so years later they give them a name that suits the child. For example, Pryia is a girl’s name meaning “dear” or “loved” and Kajal is the word for the black powder which is used something like eyeliner. The Kajal in my English class wore genetically endowed “eyeliner”. Raju is a boy’s name connoting “king” or “prosperity” and Bipin means “forest”. The Bipin that I knew was tall and lanky.

Pema

Traditionally in the United States we choose names for other reasons than “letting the name find the child”. Often we name our children for relatives and ancestors. I named my oldest Katie for her maternal great-grandmother and Marie for my mother. I named my second Katrina because it has a lovely sound and Elizabeth for her paternal aunt. A few years later I discovered that even English names have meaning and was relieved to learn that my girls’ names have positive implications. When my son was born I did some investigation and chose Michael meaning “who is like God” or “gift from God” and Wesley after his father’s maternal grandfather. Three years ago when I transitioned back the US I became mom to a precious, cream-colored golden doodle and called her Pema (pronounced pay-mah) which is a common Tibetan name for both men and women meaning “lotus”. As she grew and I learned that a doodle’s hair is more like sheep’s wool I jokingly thought that I should have looked up the Tibetan word for sheep or lamb!

Michael, Katie, Katrina

Normally a person’s name becomes a strong part of their identity. The novel, Black Beauty, gives us insight into the power of identity that a moniker holds. This power is understood by human traffickers. When a woman is trafficked into prostution it is common to give her a different name as part of breaking her will and identity. My name is Jacqueline but I have always been called Jackie. Sometimes I get called Cathy (no idea why) and it just feels odd to be called by another name. Evidently the spelling is also part of my identity because I feel a little bit violated, like it is not referring to me, when someone misspells it. I once worked in a ministry where my name and assignment were sometimes written on a board. It was invariably spelled Jacky. (Ugh, I cringe as I type that!) So one day I passive-aggressively erased the “y” and replace it with “ie” thinking my little hint would be noticed. But no, next time Jacky, whoever that was, was back on the board instead of me. My years in South America are however an exception. In Colombia my nickname is pronounced “Yackie”. I didn’t much care for the way it sounded so respectfully requested that I be called “Yah-kah-leen” (Jacqueline with a Colombian accent). That version has a melodious sound with which I was quite comfortable.

Colombian courtyard

There, of course, are exceptions. People sometimes change their names for various reasons. Authors use pen names, there are those who dislike their names and take another, actors often choose a more marketable name, etc. Upon adoption one of my granddaughters changed not only her surname but her full name as a symbol of beginning a new life. (We could do an entire blog on surnames but not today.) My daughter, Katrina, was called Trina most of her growing-up years. She quickly changed that as an adult because she despised the nickname. So we called her Katrina until the devastating hurricane of 2005 which gave her an aversion to the shared name. Since her friends had already been calling her Kat, from that time on she has been Kat. I rebelled against her name changing for some years; I just couldn’t call her another name as if she were someone else. But, I am sure much to her relief, I have managed to learn to call her Kat and actually feel like I am referring to my second born daughter. (The irony of that story is that as a teen I read a book whose protagonist was Kat and had wished that I too was named Kat.)

There is one whose name is more important than all of the other names put together.  It is the most loved name in all creation.  It is the name that is above every other name.  It is the name of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  It is the name to which every one who has ever lived and ever will live will one day kneel.  That name carries all the power of the universe and when it is called upon the miraculous is released.  Elohim, JHWH, Jehovah, Jesus, Holy Spirit, our God the Supreme Creator is known by many names.  He, like my kids in Kolkata, also is called by names that describe his nature, character, and reputation.  He is called Lover of My Soul, Healer, Provider, Peace, Lord, I AM, Protector, Good Shepherd, Almighty, Most High, the Beginning and the End, Lord of Hosts, and more than I could even list here.  When we speak his name we are acknowledging his Reign and Kingdom Power to touch our lives and our world and that name is effective because it carries the authority and power of the Uncreated One who created all that exists not only on Earth but also in the heavens and in all the universes and galaxies, even those yet unseen by human eyes.

One day when we are with Jesus in the world to come we will receive a new name. This name though won’t strip our identity; it will complete it. It will be a glorious name that identifies the beauty that our Father sees in each of us. Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus!

What is in a name?  Everything.

“I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it.  I don’t believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.”

L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, goodreads.com

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