What's in a Name?

A lot--if you asked Coke, Kleenex, Google, Madonna or Beyonce.

These short names have defined industries or pop culture. They've shaped our vocabulary as a society (When was the last time you thought, "I need a facial tissue" or "I need to do an Internet search for..."?).

Names also meant a lot in the Bible. Think about Abraham, Sarah, Peter or Paul (or look them up if you're interested.)

But what about you? What does your name mean? (Check it out).

I started thinking about this topic again yesterday when our worship team, just for a random act of fun, decided to share our middle names with each other. And then our team leader for the day challenged us to look up the meaning of our names.

My First Name, Pre-teen Brat Phase and Meaning

So I'll rewind a bit ... when I was growing up, I didn't exactly love my first name. I thought it was simply the product of my parents' former hippie days (sorry, Mom and Dad if you ever read this--you know I love you, but it's true). If you didn't know, my first name is a combination of their two names--it's like if Brad and Angie actually named their baby Brangelina.

People mispronounced my name and couldn't spell it. In my pre-teen mini-brat phase (does everyone have one of those?), I thought about changing it. At that point, I thought it would be cool to have at least one name that people could say and spell correctly--something simple to blend in with the sea of others--like Kelly, Jessica or Jennifer. But I didn't go through with it.

I never thought my name meant anything because I always considered it my parents' crazy creative outlet. But last year out of curiosity, I looked up both of their names to find the meaning of mine. To make a long story short, my first name means "She will add beauty" or maybe (my preferred version) "He will add beauty" (as in God will add beauty--see "Speech, Silence and Beauty" for more on that).

Connecting the Dots ...

And today, I looked up my middle name--another combo. name (yes, Mom and Dad really are that creative). My middle name, Marine, is the combination of my grandmother's names, Martha and Nadine. Martha means "Lady" (or "Lady of the house") and Nadine comes from a root word meaning "Hope."

Together? "Lady of Hope." And with my first name? (My own interpretation to actually make this work some sort of sentence) "He will add beauty through a lady of hope."

Kind of cool, huh?

Hope in Beauty? Or the Beauty of Hope?

So being the artsy and analytical girl that I am, this name search made me think about hope and beauty and what the relationship between these two ideals means.

As a culture, there are so many of us that place hope in beauty. We hope we're beautiful because ... well, it just seems to make life easier. We often put hope in beautiful people--as in, "Gosh, that guy is hot ... I hope he's a Christian, nice and funny, too" and even more seriously, we select the beautiful as our leaders. Statistically, there have been studies that show that beautiful people are popular beyond high school--they often show up in executive-level positions in corporations, they're the celebrities we watch in the media, can get paid more, etc. And as a society, we go to extremes to hope that beauty lasts--we preserve fine art, old movies, classic cars ... and our bodies through the "miracle" of plastic surgery.

But when was the last time you, me and our culture at large flipped the equation and simply appreciated the beauty of hope?

Hope may not be shiny, sparkly or skinny, but it is beautiful simply because hope is what holds us together.

Hope keeps us holding onto an extraordinary God who somehow cares about our ordinary lives.

Hope keeps us connected in relationships with each other. Every friendship, family and marriage is held together by some kind of hope. You hope you can trust the other person, that something good can come out of your relationship, that your life together will be better than it would be apart.

Hope keeps us believing that our future can be better than our past.

We hope for purpose, for meaning--that our lives will matter to someone, that somehow we will be remembered for something good.

I'm not sure exactly how to end this post except by saying that I want in some way "own" my name--to be someone crazy in hope who touches this planet with even a glimpse of Heaven's beauty. (I literally JUST remembered that I wrote the "Crazy in Hope" post back in the fall before I even knew my middle name's meaning--I think I'm seriously getting goosebumps).

And instead of putting hope in beauty, let's begin to believe that hope is beautiful.

Silence, Speech and Beauty

"When she speaks, she will have something worthwhile to say, and she will say it kindly."
(Prov. 31: 26 - The Message)

Have you ever felt like a babbling idiot? Like, in the middle of talking you're having an out of body experience when you ask yourself, "Am I still talking?" "Is this making any sense at all?" "Is anyone still listening?" I don't have these moments often, but found myself in the middle of one recently.

Sometimes I wonder if God looks at me and whispers (in a kind, Dad sort-of voice), "Shh...just be still for a moment. Listen." (Actually, I know He probably thinks that way about a lot of us at times ... I'm thinking Psalm 46:10.)

A week of silence ... ?
A few weeks ago, I had laryngitis. At first, I sounded like a mime (absolutely no voice!). Then I could whisper. For a few days I sounded like a soft rock DJ [ more Michael Bolton, anyone?:) ]. The problem? I kept talking! I tried to stop (really!), but it seemed impossible.

Maybe it's because our church's womens' conference was this past weekend, but I found myself reading Proverbs 31 (the passage that basically outlines the Biblically ideal woman) and I noticed the verse above with a new perspective.

What I learned...
In a world that prizes talking, "telling it like it is" and sarcasm, there's something to be said for listening, deliberate conversation, kindness and discernment.

I don't want to ramble. When I speak, I don't want people to hear the Charlie Brown sound effect, "Wa wa. Wa wa. Wa wa ..." I don't ever want to be one of those people who talks just to hear her own voice.

I want to be respected--someone people look to for valued input and counsel (versus the one who always chimes in with an unwanted idea or opinion). I want people to walk away from a conversation with me feeling inspired and challenged (in a good kind of way!).

"She will add beauty"
(This ties in--I promise!) I always thought my name didn't have a specific meaning because my parents simply made it up (it's a combination of their two names).

But one of the guest speakers at our womens' conference had this thing with names and explaining what they meant and it got me wondering ... what does my name really mean? What does the combination of my Dad's name (Joe - Joseph) and my mom's name (Bonita) really mean? It turns out that Joseph means "He will add" and Bonita means "beauty/beautiful" - together, "She will add beauty" ... how cool is that?

I really hope I will add beauty to the world (or He--God--adds it through me) ... not just through an outward appearance, but through a presence that brightens a room, words that inspire and challenge (see, I did connect the two ideas!) and through a life that makes a difference.

And though the phrase may hold a special meaning to me now, I think everyone can add beauty to their world--through a smile, a not-so-random act of kindness, wise advice, serving someone in need--the list could go on forever. Sometimes simple things are the most beautiful.