Called

In the last few months, I’ve been more interested than ever in names and their meanings. I think it’s so fun to know where a person’s name came from, the reason behind their name, and even how a name relates to who they are as a person.

For instance, my name, Erin, means “peace.” It’s also the Irish word for Ireland… isn’t that cool?! My middle name means “meadow,” and when you put my first and middle name together, you could say it means “peaceful meadow.” That sounds pretty cool, if you ask me.

In literature, names can be symbolic, describe the character, and even foreshadow what will happen to the character in the end. For example, the name Juliet (Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare) means “youthful,” and that she was. More recently, the Disney character Moana (meaning “vast body of water”) ventures across the sea to save the people of her island.

Name meanings are even relevant in the Bible. Isaac and Rebekah named their sons Esau, meaning “hairy,” and Jacob, meaning “to follow,” because Esau was hairy when he was born and Jacob was the second-born twin. In fact, names are so important that God renamed people to signify a new identity or a new life path. Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Simon became Peter. He gave them new names to be called by in their new journeys.

Now, I want you to stop and think for a minute. What do you call yourself?

Do you call yourself Stupid if you mess up on a work project?

Do you call yourself Ugly if you don’t look like that Instagram model?

Do you call yourself Lazy if you don’t get everything checked off your to-do list?

Let me tell you a secret. God calls you by your name, not by your faults. He calls you by your identity, not by your tendencies. He calls you Daughter. He calls you Loved.

So the next time you start to get down on yourself because of what the world tells you, look in the mirror and call yourself what God calls you.

You are called His. Let that name meaning sink in.