who's on the way, my guess is that you haven't given it much thought.
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Hello and Welcome to my webpage, my name is Anna. What�s your name? It�s nice to meet you.
May I ask you something? Do you happen to know what your name means? Or have you ever even thought about how important names are?
Unless you are a parent trying to pick a name for your baby
who's on the way, my guess is that you haven't given it much thought.
In fact, you probably think they are rather boring because a name is just a name, right? For the most part, I would agree with you. But have you ever thought for just moment what the world would be like without names? There would be nothing to distinguish people or objects from one another. It�s a ridiculous or even scary thought, isn�t it?
Names are such a given in our daily lives that it's quite easy to overlook their importance. They are as old as life itself; in fact, God was the first one to give us names. Still, many people may think that names are just a boring necessity. However, I would venture that because names encompass so much of our lives, there is more to them than meets the eye. Don't believe me? Well, just take a moment and think about a few of the ways they affect us.
To name a few:
Names uniquely identify us and often give us our identity. However, names are more than a label. They give us a feeling of value and that we belong to someone.
Although it may seem like an obvious statement, this point was recently driven home to me through a true story about a man who went on a mission trip to a third world country.
His trip was around Christmas time, for he was helping with Samaritan Purse's
Operation Christmas
Child ©
in delivering Christmas gifts to children in an orphanage.
The kids were so excited to meet the American missionaries and were even more thrilled to receive a shoebox full of toys, clothes, candy, and other goodies.
For many, if not all, these were the first Christmas gifts they had ever received. The missionary enjoyed meeting many of the children and seeing their delighted faces as they played with their presents.
After the initial excitement had calmed down somewhat, the missionary was approached by a little boy who asked him almost pleadingly
"Do you know my name? "
Such a simple question, but because he had met so many children that day, he had to think hard. He was sure that the child had told him his name earlier but what was it?
Finally, it came to him and he told the child "Yes, your name is John." With that response, John's eyes lit up and he got the biggest smile on his face. As the little boy danced away, the missionary heard the child joyfully say
"He knows my name, he knows my name!"
This brought the missionary to tears because while he had so much, this orphan was rejoicing that he was important enough for someone to
remember his name.
He wanted to so badly give that boy a father but he knew that possiblity was unlikely. However, he could tell him about the Heavenly Father.
Quickly, the missionary ran after little John and shared with him that he was also known and loved by Someone who is a heavenly Father to the fatherless and how he could have his name written in a special book in heaven.
Soon little John was rejoicing that not only did a stranger know his name, but that he was also wanted and loved by God. Now he knew he would never feel unwanted or be alone again.
Connects
usNames connect us with others; just like little John in the story, they make us feel part of a family. Many times we have double name connections from being named after family members. Are you named after someone? If so, you are not alone. Quite often parents name their children after family members or friends because they either want to honor that person, and/or want their child to follow their example.
For example, my middle name is after my grandmother and my first name is after the Anna in the Bible. (She was the godly widow in Luke 2:36-38 who blessed the baby Jesus and praised God for him when his parents brought him to the Temple in Jerusalem.)
There are also all those Jr., III, names that go on for generations. Names like these are a big part of a family heritage and, depending on who the family and person are, can be a source of great family pride. Many times these family names can help or hurt a person's career. Consider the household last names like Kennedy, Bush, or (Sam) Walton. All of these men's children have had more opportunities for success than the average person, simply because of their family's name connection.
Almost every name has a story behind it that connects one to a family member or someone else special. However, sometimes one's name is just popular that year which leads to the common names like John, Mary, and the more recent Emily and Jacob.
Greg Russell, a family entertainer in a popular resort in Hilton Head Island, SC, has branded these recent popular names as "Yuppie". As part of his singing routine, he has kids come up on the stage to sing for him and if they happen to have a yuppie name, they get to hear his yuppie song.
On a more research note, the government has kept track of the most popular baby names and has a great website listing the top 100 names from the past 100 years. Where does your name rank?
Although many names are quite normal, others are so unique that they can be funny, interesting, or even annoying. For example, consider how unusual last names like the following could affect someone�s business or might be hard to live with:
Lawyers:
"A good name is more desirable than great riches."
Proverbs 22:1
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