What's in a name

One story surrounding my birth was about my name. I was told that my mother wanted to name me David, but the family convinced her that I would be called "Dave," and she didn't want that. So my parents ended up naming me Wayne. I always wondered where they came up with that name. There certainly weren't any of my ancestors named Wayne. There was a Wayne King, called the waltz king, who was quite popular around the country because of his orchestra, but I sincerely doubt if that's where they got "Wayne." Anyway Mom did get David in there by using that as my second name. I still include my middle initial "D" when I sign my name in honor of my mother.

What's in a name anyway? Not too many people pay attention to the meaning of their name. I guess that's because most of us don't know the meaning of our name, or simply don't care. I took the time to look up the meaning of "Wayne" one time and discovered that it has the same root as "wagon," and means burden bearer. Now that's quite a name to live up to! But as I have thought about that I realized that all believers are called to be "burden bearers." I reference a biblical text from Galatians 6:2: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (NIV). I'm not sure what all that means, but in fact caring about other people, their pains as well as their joys, has always been a part of who I am. Perhaps your name has a special meaning as well - check it out sometime.

I was reminded of all this as I read some of the biblical stories again relating to this Advent season, such as the angel's visits to Zechariah, Mary and Joseph. The angel told Zechariah to name his son "John," a name which was foreign to that family. The angel's words were "He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord" (Luke 1:14,15). According to the Bible Dictionary the name "John" means "Jehovah has been gracious." And of course the angel in visits to Joseph and Mary told them to name their baby "Jesus" "because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

We find it interesting sometimes to check out the new births column in one of our church papers just to note the names people are giving their children these days. Names seem to come and go in popularity, but it also seems now that folks are coming up with so many names one has never heard of, or with different spellings for some of the common names. And then there are many people from other cultures living in our country who have names that come from their culture, so we need to learn how to pronounce them as best as we can. Take one that I have been trying to learn, the name of a Japanese baseball player that the Chicago Cubs signed today, Kosuke Fukudome. I've noticed already that good baseball announcers will ask the players how they want their name ponounced, then try to do that as nearly as possible. That's much better that just taking a stab at it and missing badly. That might be a good idea for everyone.

Well, what is in a name? I guess in the end its all in what those who give the name have in mind - perhaps no special meaning, just a name they like, and that's all right. If there's a special meaning, then hopefully the meaning can be fulfilled by that person, providing its a good meaning that is.

My name is Wayne, but I still remain --

Pilgrim on the way