Love Your Name

 “I hate my name!” exclaimed a five-year-old boy when I asked him to write it down on a piece of paper.

“Okay, but I need to know how you spell it,” I grinned. “I don’t want to make a mistake. Those who will read it might think this book belongs to someone else.”  (I always write the book owner’s name during book-signing events.)

He then wrote his name with much effort: Ezekiel. 

“What a lovely name! It comes from the Bible,” I said, writing it on his book. “Do you know what Ezekiel means?”

He shook his head.

“Ask your mom and dad why they chose it for you.”   

He nodded. I would have wanted to talk to Ezekiel about the wonders of his name but the next kid in line was getting impatient.

“My name is Carla!” she said.

“Hi! Is that spelled with a ‘K’ or a ‘C’?”

There are as many names as there are stars in the sky. Sometimes, even if two names are homophones, they are spelled differently. Why is that? 

Being a mother, I think I know why.

Before a baby is born, parents take a lot of effort in choosing their son’s or daughter’s name. We consider many possibilities: names of grandparents, famous people, close friends, Bible heroes, etc.  

Some parents want unique names. That’s why they change the spelling of popular names. Sometimes they add a vowel or a consonant.

There’s this little boy whose name is pronounced David, but is spelled “Dheyvhid.” No wonder kids like Ezekiel say, “I hate my name!” 

In the Bible, God our Father, did some naming Himself.

Abram was renamed Abraham—meaning, father of many. At that time, Abram wasn’t a father of anyone.  God changed Abram’s name as a sign of His promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations.

Then there’s Abraham’s wife, Sarai. God changed it to Sarah, which means my princess or mother of nations. Sarah was already very, very old and she thought she would no longer have a baby. But God had plans. 

God changed Simon’s name to Peter. It means rock. On his own, Peter was not a rock. He kept changing his mind, depending on situations. With the Holy Spirit, however, Peter became a stable rock of the church.

Plus more. 

Just as God chose names for His people, Ezekiel’s parents spent time choosing his name—and someday, when Ezekiel is older, I am sure they will tell him the love story behind it.