What's In a Name?

I wasn’t going to write this one but thoughts of a recent event have continuously and relentlessly been circulating through my mind.  The recurring impetus is incredibly real and absolutely adorable.

What is your relationship with God?

The answer to this question has a great effect on the name you choose when you reach out in prayer.  Your view of God is a product of your experience in life with earthly fathers and mothers, cultural flavors and the geographic locations of your life’s story.   These human conditions are strongly influenced by the traditions and interpretations imparted to you regarding the stories of the bible and the life of Jesus through the spiritual leaders and the church body.

The answer to this question colors everything.



Here’s a common list of names but is by no means exhaustive:

• Abba
• Adonai
• Christ
• Creator
• El Shaddai
• Elohim
• Father
• God
• HaShem
• I Am that I Am
• Jehovah
• Jesus
• King of Kings
• Lamb of God
• Lord
• Lord of Hosts
• Messiah
• Yawweh
• Yeshua
• YHWH

You probably find that mixing these up is a frequent occurrence.  Sometimes, depending on your mood or life circumstance, one of the names will rise to the top as you pray.

This Easter, I sent a Bible to each of my Grandchildren.  All Bibles were different and were designed to correspond to the age of each. When the box was opened, Face-Time allowed me to share the moment.  Technology can be so cool sometimes!

The older kids were given books aimed at helping them learn not only the Christian stories, but the way these stories help them to follow the example of Jesus in their current place in life.

The youngest was excited because his had a handle on it.  He’ll get a few stories from it as time goes by but for now, just carrying it around seems good.  God’s going to love that.

The youngest girl is just now beginning to read.  Her Bible will encourage her to read the stories on her own. As she grows, she’ll take the words with her.  And apparently, she couldn’t wait.  She grabbed her Bible and began to read immediately.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”  Well, she needed a little help, of course, and her mother provided as she always does.  “And God said, let there be light.”

A little more help.  Even the word God was causing a little issue.  She kept saying Gosh.  And suddenly, I heard laughter.  You see, her mother had taught this munchkin that you shouldn’t say things like “Oh my God!” Instead, you should say “Oh my gosh!”  This little sweetheart replaced the word God with Gosh every time she came across the word just as she had been told.

The laughter remains.  The story is told repeatedly.  But the vision in my mind sees God appreciating this name and laughing harder than any of us while picking this child up and swinging her around the kitchen in a hug so strong that I can tell you for a fact, she’ll never be alone.

And that’s the relationship I want with my Abba, too.