What’s in a name?

We are blessed to have a three-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter whom, as you might expect, is a great joy in our lives. When she was born, like every new parent, her parents picked her name after struggling through the myriad of baby name lists online and navigating suggestions from family and friends.
As we gathered for Christmas this past December, one of my gifts was in an envelope. When I opened it, there was a cute homemade coupon for a family photo shoot and a photocopy of some document. It took a minute for it to register, but it was a copy of a document for a legal name change for our granddaughter.
With both grandmothers having the same first name, Patricia, our son and his wife had decided to legally add it as a middle name for our granddaughter. “We’re not sure why we didn’t think of it back then!” they exclaimed. I was very moved to have my name included and by the effort and thought put into doing it intentionally.
Names are important! They give us a grounding, an identity, a connection. Names help us understand who we are and where we belong. When Zechariah wrote, “His name is John!” he was connecting his son to the story of the angel’s visit and God’s promise.

In you, God, may we find our identity. Amen.
Eternity for Today