What’s in a Name?

 

Growing up in Tennessee, people usually called me “MAY-ree.” When we lived in Virginia, almost everyone said, “Murray.” Now, having lived in Florida most of my life, I typically hear “Merry,” which I like the sound of, or “Marry,” which fit well during my decades of marriage until my husband’s death a year ago today.

In the Bible, after her husband and sons had died, Naomi said to call her “Mara,” which means bitter. (See Ruth 1:20.)

Centuries later when the young Mary gave birth to her Son Jesus, she said,“from now on all generations will call me blessed for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is His Name,” Luke 1:48-49. With those words Mary acknowledged and named the Holy One as The Giver of Blessings and, herself, as blessed.

Now, two thousand years after that first Christmas, Christians continue to pray in the Name of Jesus, expressing our agreement with the will of God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

When God Himself named someone, the name typically defined a very specific purpose or direction the Lord wanted that person to take. For example, in Hebrew, Abraham means “the father of many,” while the name Sarah means “princess." Together those two names foreshadow the countless people who descended from that royal line ordained by God.

The priest Zechariah named his son John since the angel Gabriel told him to and because it means “God’s gracious gift,” which he surely was – not only because an elderly couple bore him but because he had work to do to prepare the way for his slightly younger cousin, Jesus, by calling people to repentance and baptizing them in the River Jordan.

Names give us the power to call others to come, and if they respond, so much the better! God Himself surely thinks so, too, for as He said in Isaiah 43:1, “I have called you by your name. You are Mine.” That single verse gives us plenty to praise God for and to write about in poetry, nonfiction, and fiction.

If you prefer to write fiction – short stories or novels – just remember to check out the meaning of each name you select. (I still refer to a book on naming babies I’ve had forever.) These choices will help you to develop a character in line with his or her name as the Lord did in naming Jesus, which means "YHWH is salvation." 

And remember, God named Himself “YHWH,” which, in Hebrew, means “I AM,” indicating His eternal self as alive and living in the past, present, and future. 

As you proceed to plan out your story, make sure every character, whether the protagonist (main story person), antagonist (the adversary or opponent), and incidental characters have initials unique to them. When I devoured Russian novels in my teen years, I had a terrible time following each character because it seemed like everyone, male or female, had a name beginning with “K."

Be assured, the Eternal I AM is with you now, guiding your work and calling you by the name to which He has called you – Christian writer and, always, blessed.

 

Mary Harwell Sayler