A
name, biblically, should not contradict or taunt the experiences or reputation
by which an individual is known, identified and recognized by others. In other
words, the experiences you go through in life should align or tally with the
import of your name. For example, are you ravaged by a wasting disease that has
drained your finances and energy? Does it look like every attempt you’ve made
to get a cure is an exercise in futility? Oh no; perhaps, the issue of ill-health does
not apply to you. Your story is that your marriage of several years is
childless, and you can no longer pretend to be comfortable in the company of
friends and family as you feel their eyes throw darts of mockery and silent
accusation at you and your long-suffering wife? Still, it could be you have a
different story to tell of your long bitter struggle to overcome the yoke of
poverty, despite giving your best shots in business? Whatever it is, if the
experiences you have had so far are largely negative while your name, for
example, is Blessing or Success
or Goodluck, there is no doubt that
your name is being contradicted and controverted.
The
ancient Jews in the Bible were keenly aware of this principle, that the names
they bear should not collapse under the mockery of their experiences! To get a
better sense of what I’m writing about, let us read the book of Ruth in the
Bible from Chapter 1:19-21.
...And it came to pass, when they
were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said,
Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the
Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath
brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath
testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
Fleeing
from famine in Bethlehem, this woman named Naomi (meaning sweetness) went to the land of Moab along with her family in search
of the good life: but what she experienced there confounded and shamed her
lofty expectations. Reduced to destitution, having lost her two sons and
husband, she was left with no choice but to return home, especially when she
heard that boom had returned to Bethlehem. As her fellow natives had a struggle
trying to recognize her, “Is this Naomi”, she quickly made a retraction: “Call
me Mara (bitterness). Naomi has
become a mockery to the sorrows and grief my life had experienced. I had been
afflicted and dealt with bitterly by the Almighty. Why should I bear the name sweetness? The shameful, tragic episodes
of my life have rejected the name, Naomi
! Mara (bitterness) is now my name.”
According
to divine principle, learning from Naomi’s story, the episodes and experiences
of our lives should never contradict or controvert the meanings of our names!
Why
should you require a change of name? True, adverse circumstances and negative
experiences might have blind-sided some person, preventing him or her from
seeing beyond the boundaries of their fearful, insecure, restrained or barren
personality. They might be silently desperate, feeling dissatisfied and
victimized, but because they think there is nothing that could be done to
rectify their situation, they have learned to adjust and make peace with their
circumstances. They no longer show any shame but rather pretend to happily bear
the names given to them by their adverse circumstances and negative
experiences.
Abram
was already learning to adjust and make peace with his barrenness when God
Almighty, with His excellent knowledge, cut through the man’s negativity and
blindness, and told him: “Let’s change your name!”
Neither shall thy name any more
be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham: for a father of many nations have I made
thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make
nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. (see Genesis 17:5-6)
Look
again at this phrase: “for a father of many nations have I made thee!” Not that I’m
going to make you a father of many nations, but I have already made you one; so bear this new name to
authenticate your true status; and validate what you are going to experience
henceforth.”
Now,
a true change-of-name comes from characteristics and capabilities that are
present, which remain hidden, unexplored and non-manifested within an
individual.
You
need a change-of-name when you have a victimized mentality, finding it easy to
take the path of least resistance, and accepting whatever life throws at you.
If your talent is buried and your fear exposed; if you are not productive and
prolific, you should ask for a change-of-name. If you find it easy to
capitulate to what violates your conscience because you feel powerless, you
need a change-of-name. If you are still battling to overthrow poverty and
destitution in your life without success, you need a change-of-name.
Can
you just take any name? No, whatever name you take to change your status must
be inspired and empowered. And once you’ve changed your name, you must be ready
to take concrete steps forward to match the meaning of your name. Once you
realize that the meaning of your name is inexorable, and that life itself has
no choice but to answer to it, you would have no excuse to feel powerless and
victimized.
Having
re-invented yourself, and taken a new label, you must push to expand your
activity, and get prolific. Break out of your comfort zone. Have a healthy
distrust for what makes you complacent. Crave for new experiences that will
take you to another level of productivity that you never imagined you were capable
of. Attack any useful task you were afraid of, and command it to yield its secrets.
Life must serve you what you desire!
Remember,
the power of your new name comes from your mouth, giving expression to what is
settled in your heart. You don’t require any permission from anyone to
broadcast your name persuasively. With
other people calling your new name in response, life will begin to cooperate to
make your experiences to align with the meaning of your new name.
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| Felix N. Jarikre. |
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