A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but the intention, the meaning behind the name, could very well affect how it is received.
Genesis 17:5 (NIV) – “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.”
The only people who have effectively assigned me with nicknames in my life are my parents, and I can tell you right now, they are nothing like my actual name. Not even a little bit. I tell you this because as a child I have one very strong memory of someone attempting to call me Karl. This name went down like a lead balloon. I did not like being called Karl, and I made it very obvious to anyone who attempted to use that name on me.
Its only now that I realise the reason I didn’t like being called Karl was because I could not, and would not, accept the identity that I associated with the name change. I associated the name Karl with being a boy, and I was not a boy. Calling me Karl, in my childlike mind, felt like my identity was being stolen and replaced with something other.
I could not, and would not, accept the identity that I associated with the name change.
In Genesis 17:5 God changes Abram’s name to Abraham. My biggest takeaway from the entire interaction is that God took who Abraham was, and made him more. Not different. More.
God took who Abraham was, and made him more.
Abram means “exalted father”, while Abraham means “The father of many nations”. God took who Abram was and grew him. He took his existing blessing and enhanced it.
He took his existing blessing and enhanced it.
I believe God does the same for us, he takes ‘girl or boy’ and names us ‘daughter or son’. God levels us up. He takes who we already are and gives us the upgraded version.
God levels us up.
In the same way, I believe, that as we get to know the names God gives us, it is easier to recognise the names that others try to give us that don’t align with who we are, and walk away knowing our true identity is more than what they attempted to substitute it with.
The beauty of the names God gives us, is that we can grow into them, and they come with a vision for the future, a promise, as with Abraham who started as a father, and became the father of nations.
The beauty of the names God gives us, is that we can grow into them
I encourage you to take some time to look at who you are, and start listening to who God is growing you into. Listen for the names He has given you. Beloved. Friend. Child. Heir. Look for the promise He is growing you in to.