Tim and I are still trying to decide what to name our new cats who have taken up residence in Tim’s workshop.  The mama cat has stayed hidden but the two kittens are very friendly.  I’ll be home today and plan to go play with them awhile.  Maybe names will come to mind when I see their personalities in action.

What’s in a name? Was Shakespeare’s Juliet correct when she said to Romeo, “That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet” ?  Do names actually matter and does the name given to you by your parents reflect who you really are?

I have found that choosing names can be quite difficult for our pets but especially for our children.  They have to live with these names the rest of their lives. Because of this, we never fully decided on names for each of our children until after we saw them for the first time. We had possibilities but nothing set in stone.

Anna arrived with wild ash blond hair and bright eyes.  She was named after two of her great, great, great grandmothers.  Both of them were strong-willed and resilient women. Anna means grace. Our Anna has always been compassionate and tender especially with babies and animals.  Many of our animals have been acquired through her.  She seems to be a magnet for stray dogs and has a heart to save them all.

Next came Rozie with long dark hair that would stand up no matter what I did to hold it down.  Her lips were like a little rose bud.  Rosalind means beautiful rose. She is always poised and confident in everything she does.  Her namesake was my Grandmother, Rose Alta.  She would have never forgiven us if we had given her “Alta” as a middle name so we dropped that part. My beautiful rose was a lovely bride this spring.  Appropriately, she carried red roses in her bouquet.

Now Garrett was the one most difficult to name.  Dan and I just couldn’t agree before he was born on a name we both liked.  We knew he was a boy so at least we didn’t need to discuss girl’s names.  Dan wanted to name him after his favorite uncle Oscar!  That was not going to happen!  Garrett decided to come a little early and happened to be born near Dan’s brother Gary’s birthday.  Gary and Dan had been very close.  He had died in an automobile accident while he was still in high school.  When we saw Garrett with his broad shoulders and husky little body, we knew we had to name him after Gary.  But we didn’t want exactly the same name so we chose Garrett.  It means a strong fortress.  It really fits him now as a soldier and protector.  Did the name fit who he was already or did he grow into the name?

The Bible says in Revelation 2:17, that someday Jesus will give us new names only known by us.  Perhaps they will be pet-names or nicknames.  Will they describe just who we are and who we are meant to be? I think the latter.  When Jesus saw Peter, he called him “the Rock.”  He certainly wasn’t a rock then but he became one.  He was the rock that became the foundation of the early church.  Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him but He also knew that Peter would overcome and become a great leader.

Jesus knows the best we can be and the name he gives us will reflect that.  He encourages us to be that best person in our own way, using our God-given gifts and personality for His glory.  Just as each of my children uniquely reflect their earthly names, in Heaven they will be given new names that perfectly fit the beautiful people that they have become.  Lord, let them grow and mature through Your loving kindness into the names you will give them in eternity.