Finding the Meaning of My Name

I had learned my name, and God had reinforced that identity over and over, but even thought I had that, something was still missing. For years I have been drawn to two movie scenes, one from Gladiator and one from Secondhand Lions, both where men tell an adversary who they are. These scenes involve more than just sharing their name, but what that name meant, who they really were. I've been drawn to these scenes because of what they convey, and I have always wanted a name like that. A name that tells of who I am at my core.

A name like that only comes from trail and hardship, suffering and healing, something that I hadn't really experienced until a few years ago. Meaning comes out of how we respond to everything that has taken place, and defines how we are seeking to live moving forward. The search for my name was part of a ceremony that would be held at an annual men's retreat I lead, you can read about these and see insights from my brothers at http://proverbs1824brothers.blogspot.com/. The focus we've had since our first retreat in 2015 has been on becoming the men God created us to be.

The ceremony was something that I needed, had longed for for so long, it was that confirmation of identity, a calling to something bigger, and validation from those I'm doing life with. I had my name, but I knew that for this ceremony I needed more, I needed to be able share what that meant. I needed to say who I had been, what God had done, and who I was now as a result.

As I had been learning my name a common theme kept coming up, which is ultimately how I discovered the identity God had given me, and in that He gave me a Scriptural foundation. I close every post with the same phrase, "Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11" and the reason for this is that 1 Peter 5.1-11 is the passage God gave me. Earlier this year I spent several months breaking down this passage of Scripture, going phrase by phrase, and examining what it meant. I found five key themes in these verses, and from those themes began to understand what it meant to claim the identity God had given me.

My name came from God, and the meaning of that name came from Scripture. On June 9, 2018 I shared that name with my brothers, and then I took a pledge that I had written based out of what God had revealed to me from 1 Peter 5.1-11. I had a name, and I know what embracing that name entails.

Who does God say that you are? What name does He know you by?

What does Scripture say about your name?


Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!