What’s in a name?
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” Proverbs 22:1 KJV
Shakespeare once said, a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.
I presume in this life I’ll never be a rose or maybe have ‘great riches,’ but at the same time will I have a good name? What’s in a name? Is it possible to choose one? Here are a chosen few:
Charity
If I had a daughter I’d vouch for the name Charity…it has a nice ring to it. In 1st Corinthians 13 its described this way:
“1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8Charity never faileth….
13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
1 Corinthians 13 KJV
What an honor to be called Charity!
Cherish
What’s in a name? Before I got married Melissa gave me a picture of herself in a frame which said, ‘cherish.’ That word soon became a name which I love to this day.
Kool and the Gang once sung a song which said:
“Cherish the love
Cherish the life
Cherish the love we have
For as long as we both shall live
Cherish the love…”
Somehow my second choice for a name would have to be, ‘Cherish.’
Caitlin
For my second son my Melissa and I decided to do the wait and see thing. We decided to wait until birth to find out whether we’d receive a boy or girl. So during the pregnancy many names surfaced. One girl name got to the top. It was the name Caitlin. We thought it had a nice ring. It would have been our first choice. As it were that ship has sailed, however I still like the name!
According to sheknows.com, the name Caitlin means ‘pure or clear.’ What a great choice! Who could ask for a better name—and to be pure and clear of wrong?
What’s in my name? What’s in yours? Whether Charity, Cherish or Caitlin, do we stand for something positive?!
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Good listen: My name is Victory by Jonathan Nelson
Or an ‘oldie’: There’s no other by F.E. Belden