Name

Do you know what your name means?

When we set out to name our babies, most people take two things into consideration: family names and the meaning of names. For my husband and me, we liked the sound of certain ones and then went to look up their meanings to confirm we wanted to label our kids in that way (Abigail = father’s joy, Eleanor = bringer of light, Penelope = weaver).

But do you know what your name means?

I remember when I was a kid in the ’80s and ’90s, it was a big deal to find your name on things like pencils and stickers and bookmarks. One bookmark in particular, that I think was given to me by a grandparent, gave a definition for the name Carrie: Beloved.

In the book of John in the Bible, we notice the author never refers to himself by name. If he makes an appearance in a story, it’s always “the disciple Jesus loved.” I used to think this was something arrogant, as if it read “the disciple Jesus loved most.”

But that’s not it at all.

I’ve come to realize John used this title for himself humbly, as a way of saying “This is who I am. Jesus loves me! Yes he loves you too. I’m claiming this truth — no matter what happens, I am loved.”

Friends, no matter what your given name means, I hope you know that the name “Beloved” is for you too. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)

Five Minute Friday is a weekly opportunity to simply write about one word for only five minutes, and link-up what you’ve written, to connect with other writers.