What's in your name?

Have you ever thought about the importance of a name? The other day I came across a book that I purchased when we were trying to start a family, called The Name Book, by Dorothy Astoria (Name Book, The: Over 10,000 Names-Their Meanings, Origins, and Spiritual Significance: Astoria, Dorothy: 9781556619823: Amazon.com: Books). When I stumbled upon the book again, I started thinking about the significance of a name, or each of our names.

Although I’ve never been particularly fond of my name, Tracy, I’ve grown to appreciate it. As it turns out, my name is Latin and means “Warrior.” The spiritual connotation is “Noble Spirit.” Pretty intense, huh? LOL. As you can tell from my personality, I’m a fairly intense kind of person. It’s funny, but another name I go by is T-bone. I can’t quite remember how a few of my friends came up with it, but for some reason, it has stuck with me.

As I sit here pondering it further, a name is one of the first gifts a parent gives to their child. I believe that a name is significant, as they are one of the ways that we mark our place in this world. 

For those of you with kids, how did you choose their names? Were there cultural or historical meanings attached to their names? 

It’s intriguing to me how a name that we’re given at birth can, indirectly or directly, influence the course of our lives. For me, I’ve known the meaning of my name since I was young, but I hadn’t given it too much thought until the last few years. Almost a year ago to the date, I wrote a blog on “When the physical pain gets to be too much…”  In that blog I talked about the various types of pain that I had experienced over the years and the mental drain that accompanied it. It is through this pain that I’ve realized that I’m a fairly strong person. However, I also acknowledge that it is Christ in me and who He’s called me to be…a warrior!  I’ve also realized over the past year, that it’s not just about me or for me, and that I am a prayer warrior. I love to pray, as I know that God truly answers our prayers. So, if you need prayer for something, I would be honored to support you by praying for you. Please send me a private note.