We like to name our children by what we want them to become. In years past, we might have chosen to name our son Abel, which means breath of life, or our daughter Amber after the beautiful gemstone. Today we choose movie stars and sports figures, hoping some of their success will rub off on our child.
Yet a name is a series of sounds, consonants and vowels breathed out in a certain way, and the only meaning it has is what we want it to have.
Take the name Bela. It’s the name of Benjamin’s first son in Genesis 46:21, and a city spared when the angels destroyed Sodom in Genesis 14:2 and Genesis 19:22. Bela was probably the king of Zoar, one of the five cities associated with Sodom and Gomorrah, according to Genesis 14:8. Bela had two sons, Ard and Naaman in Numbers 26:40. Bela reigned in Edom by conquest in Genesis 36:31-32.
Are all these Belas the same? Undoubtedly not. However, all have one thing in common. Each and every one was associated with rising up and surviving in the worst of times.
Let’s make a list. Think of people who’ve overcome. What are their names? We know those in the Bible. Peter crashed and burned the night Jesus was falsely accused and beaten. Yet, Peter is considered the foundation of the modern day church. He was fallen, and yet he arose to stand tall.
What about Paul? He was abandoned by his fellow Christians, and imprisoned in a hole in the ground. It is likely he died a martyr’s death. Yet, he authored much of the New Testament, and today, his words bring souls to Christ. How much higher can a man rise?
Don’t forget the Marys in the Word. Mary, the mother of Jesus, bore a son in a manger, yet she was the mother of our Lord. Mary of Bethany’s devotion cost her everything, and today we see her tender act as greater than all the glories that came after. Mary Magdalene received a greater honor than any woman before or after. She was the first to see her resurrected Lord, and she carried her witness to the disciples.
What’s in a name? Nothing at all, except what we choose to see in it. What’s important is whether we rise from our circumstances, and become the warrior for our Lord that he needs us to be. If we do, then our name will mean something, and we will find others who want to pass it on.
When we fall low, and when we stumble, we can rise up in the power of Jesus’ name. Just ask Peter, Paul, and the three Marys. They found strength in our Lord, and today we revere their names.
What we do makes us what we are, and when we rise up for God, our names will be lifted up in praise.
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