|
|
Christian Indie Radio
GetChristianMusic
Solid Walnut Music
|
|
|
|
|
|
Devotionals
|
|
Cartoons
Culture
Family
Games
Health
Homeschooling
Humor
Inspiration
Kids
Men
Ministry
Parenting
Poetry
Teens
Women
|
|
Statement of Faith
Contact Us
|
|
|
|
The Pastor's Place. For Pastors and their families.Names
by Linda Mae Baldwin (Linda's bio)
Send this page to a friend
“Sticks and stones may break my bones and names will ALWAYS hurt me…ah, I mean, names will never hurt me.” Truth is, the first one makes more sense. Clearly, whoever made up the little rhyme never had an unflattering nickname or insult hurled at them. You can't splint up, bandage or suture bruised feelings or fractured self esteem, and ice packs won't work on a wounded spirit. If given the choice, I'd take a good whack with a stick on my ankle over merciless taunts and jabs.
For five of my elementary school years I endured a terrible time where the cool kids decided my name should be, Frankenstein. When they felt especially jolly, they'd call me Frankie. I hated it. I hated them. My father was 'illegitimate' and had a name that didn't belong to his biological father. He regretted it all his life, living with a huge chip on his shoulder. My daughter's name is Jennifer. Right around the time of her birth every other girl born was named Jennifer. While she was growing up she called her self, Jenny, Jennie, Jenna, Gennifer, and finally Jen. People refer to her sometimes as Jan. It is annoying. My husband's name is Steven Lance Baldwin. His primary caregiver called him Lance, so Steven was never used. Now, when people see his ID, they inevitably ask if he is related to THE BALDWIN BROTHERS, to which he replies, “Yes. I'm the good looking one.” Our son Joshua was named for us the minute he was born, it is one of the real moments of God I will never forget. Names mean something. Names are way more important than we know. A few more examples:
God
God knows our names. Isaiah 41:1
Fear not; for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine Isaiah 43:1
Exodus 33:17 I know you personally and call you by name.
When we get to heaven He will give us a new name. Revelation 2:17
When we become a Christian we bear HIS name (awesome). Mark 9:41
And while His name is above all names, anyone who calls on the NAME of the Lord will be saved!
Family
My heart still gets wiggly when my husband (of 25 years this February) speaks my name. There is something special about hearing our name from those who matter to us.
Newly pregnant parents search through books and online sites to find the perfect name for their offspring, taking care the future monogram doesn't spell something awful, take for example :Michael Oliver Lawrence Thompson = MOLT, or Sally Patricia Abigail McDonald = SPAM.
My husband and I thoroughly researched the meanings of children's names before choosing for our children.
Nana and Papa are not our given names, just the names our grandchildren call us. Frequent smiles erupt when we hear those names said.
It takes a great deal of time to name an animal in our family. Sometimes nothing clicks, as in our present cat whose sad name is Princess Kitty or Cat.
Official Name Use
When we get married we take another's name as our own. If we are divorced we may choose to take our old name back. It is our sense of identity.
Wills are full of names, and if you don't have the appropriate name, even what is rightfully yours may not legally be.
An article I once read advised shy people to start conversations by asking others about themselves, guaranteeing the shy individual would feel comfortable because a person can't help but talk about themselves. Just like we want to hear our own names, and tend to warm to those who use them.
My husband, Lance, is an instructor who understands the importance of names. He installed a system where students names are printed on large name plates and mounted atop the computer station they will occupy, so when the students arrive their name greets them. They are comforted and feel as if they already belong. When he teaches he continually uses their names in illustrations, or to ask questions and opinions of. People really like this.
As Pastor, it might be difficult for you to learn all the names you must. Lance used to joke that sometimes he would even forget my name and at functions I followed him around and whispered people's names in his ear. Neither is true, but he knows the importance of folks hearing their name. I don't know any tricks to memorize, but I do know it's hurtful when your pastor or other church folk call us by an incorrect name.
We attend a fairly large church where the senior Pastor always greets by name and never gets them wrong. (Well, at least ours). (This is only one of his gifted traits). However, at the same time, our daughter Jen, who also attends and ministers in the church nursery, has trouble convincing permanent nursery workers in the department her name is not JAN. They initially started calling her Jan (a reasonable mistake, as her name is Jen). She immediately pointed out the error and was assured they would correct their files. One year and a few months later, they still have her name wrong. Despite numerous reminders no one has bothered to fix the roster, and so, she remains, Jan. Just last week they had a lovely church wide baby shower, the workers made beautiful baby books and name tags, all of Jen's were Jan. It is disheartening to think that in 12+ months not one person has attempted to acquaint themselves with her well enough to know her name. I guess that comes with the human territory we are all bound to.
We need just look in Romans 1:5 to find our Lord called us by name before He created the universe. He knows us so very well, He gave us names before all else….wow.
Our society and culture moves swiftly. Getting called something incorrectly, may be, to some, better than not be identified at all. Because of the importance the Bible and God puts on names, I believe it is our duty to strive for excellence in this area. Use nametags or some other means to make it easy for folks to identify one another at church, and if you do a 'meet and greet,' advise people to not say, “Is this your first time?” Understandably, if you've been attending for a year or more the question is a little insulting. You might ask instead, “How long have you attended?”
The trouble with church people is we all have feelings and we carry around with us a certain amount of baggage which makes it difficult to know what or who will set us off. Sometimes it's smaller things, like remembering names or the length of time we've attended church that makes all the difference.
Copyright 2002, Linda Mae Baldwin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
|
About Linda Mae Baldwin: Linda Mae Baldwin has ministered in churches in various capacities since 1983, when her husband answered the call to the Pastorate. The author of various plays, inspirational readings, and short stories, she currently also writes reviews for the iUniverse.com CWWC site. Although no longer in vocational ministry, Linda Mae's heart is to minister to pastors, their wives and children. E-mail Linda Mae |
Send this page to a friend: