I recently finished reading a book by Arnaldur Indridson. At the beginning of the book the author explains how the Icelandic people address each other. Their surname is patronymic, meaning it is made up of the person’s father’s name and ends with -son for a male and -dottir for a girl. Hence Indridson, means son of Indridur.
We are all given a first name, some call it our “Christian” name, others our “given” name, a name chosen specifically for us, usually at the time of our birth. Some couples will choose the name of their baby before he or she is born – I would have been Archibald William if my grandparents had had their way and I had been a boy…..a close shave there!
Other couple spend weeks deciding on a name. I had a colleague and his wife who took nearly six weeks to name their first child.
Sometimes people will change their name later in life – Elton John was Reginald Dwight, not quite a showbiz name!
For the majority of people their name is chosen for them.
God may not choose our name for us, but he chooses us for himself.
In Isaiah 43 v 1 the Lord says, “I have summoned you by name, you are mine.”
This is not so God can keep us all to himself, rather that as a loving Father, he wants us, he delights in us, as any new parent.
Just as an adoptive parent will choose a son or daughter, God chose YOU, he loves YOU, and he delights in YOU.
Prayer: Thank you God for choosing me, thank you for loving me, thank you for bringing me into your family. Help me to make you proud, give me cause to make you delight. AMEN