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| How appropriate I would pass the hospital where I was named this week on My Virtual Route 66 Challenge |
Today's reading was about John having been named by God in Luke 1:57-61.
Names are often important in the bible. For example Sarah and Abraham named their son "Isaac", which means "laughter", and Jesus changed Simon's name to "Peter", which means "rock". It was also common for parents to name their baby after a family member, which is what Elizabeth and Zechariah's friends expected them to do.
I think about my own name for a moment. What does it mean to me? Was I named after someone? Has it changed? How do I even feel about my name? In the quiet, I offer all these thoughts and feelings - the good and the not-so-good - to God.
I imagine God smiling, and then speaking my name, "...I know you. I love you."
This was the first intervention of God in my life as I was supposed to be a "Karen" (which in today's climate, that name has taken on a whole new meaning), but my dad took one look at me and said, "She is a Carol." Just as Zechariah intervened and said, "His name shall be John." My dad intervened and said, "Her name shall be Carol." My dad had spoken. This is a holy moment.
So the meaning of my name is "Song of Joy," and I would say that is pretty much who I am. I love to sing, and I have a lot of joy.
Later, I would find out that Carol is the feminine form of the name, Charles, which was my dad's name. I would also discover that my name Carol Ann is an inverted and American rendition of my grandmother's Swedish name, "Anna Karolina." I love it when God does things like that. This all happened with my dad having no idea what he was doing or even why he was doing it.
So now I am called to continue to live out my name, and I gladly accept that call.
Do not fear,
for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name,
you are mine.
Isaiah 43:1 (NIVUK)
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