What's in a name?

By Anne Anjao-Eboi

Many of us ignorantly christen our children names they shouldn't be answering to. I know there are those who will not believe me when I say naming your child ought to be a thought out, spiritual process. The names we give our children will have a bearing on their future.

I never understood that the child’s destiny is attached first to God, then to the names we give him/her until I read a scripture that says death and life are in the power of the tongue. God must have had a reason for changing Abraham’s name from Abram. Abraham means father of many nations, so every time Abraham was called, life was injected into the name to proclaim that he was the father of many nations. This was Abraham’s destiny.

I also named my children out of ignorance years ago before I had come to the knowledge of the truth. Mercifully, their names do not carry undesirable meanings. I like it when I hear children being called Shekinah, Sifa, Isaac or Peter among others. The present times have pushed us to go for what we think are posh names. While I do not mean any offence, the fact remains that we need to be careful about what a name means.

Even if, for example, there was so much suffering surrounding your child’s birth, why name him Taabu? Why call someone Nyangau for goodness sake! A nyangau (hyena) is not a good animal for a person to be associated with. No wonder some people we know in the public domain prefer to use their African names rather than their baptismal names.

I recall when my cousin named his son Ford! And Ford he is to date! Not Ford the car but the defunct Forum For Restoration of Democracy party.

break the curse

I know a family whose surname means wanderer and wanderers they are! None of the sons in this boma (homestead) is getting anywhere. For three of them, financial difficulties have been their cup of affliction ever since. No property despite working for years. One is in debt while another is a typical villager-you can never know that he studied to university level. One is wandering in the area of marriage.

If you already have such a name, pray over it and break the curse associated with it then let God guide you into the next cause of action to follow.

You may not believe me but I believe that with your tongue, you are either cursing or blessing your child. So use Godly wisdom to pick a name for your child.