What's in a name?
In the eighties, Irene Cara begged us to "remember her name", and like it or loathe it we all have a name. I don't know what yours is (unless you post me a comment ;0) ) but I can guarantee you have one. As for mine you will have guessed that as no self respecting parent would actually name their baby daughter Cazza and so mine is going to be something beginning with C, possibly Carol or Caroline. And you'd be right- it's Carol (you probably won't have guessed that my middle name is June but you may now have an inkling as to when my birthday is!) I have to say I really like my first name and I was called Carol in the hope that I would love to sing-and I do. As a result of this though I think I have formed a really strong attachment to names and the meaning of names.And it's really made me think this week about names.
Forgive me for going off on a tangent for a second but I wanted to share a wonderful conversation I had once with a little boy in my class when I was a teacher. I had been away to Guatemala and worked for a charity for a year and had said a sad farewell to the boy and his class the year before. When I returned I went back to visit the class and I told the children that they could ask me anything they wanted to about my big adventure. Bracing myself for questions about street children, drugs etc I was amazed when this question was posed to me. "Miss Raven, do you still remember my name?"
So what is in a name and what makes it so important? For some it is a badge of honour, for some a label. For some it is an identity a way to belong, for some it is simply something you have to have in order to exist. I mentioned that I had worked with street children in Guatemala. Many of those children didn't have an address or a birthday- but they all had a name.
So here's the crux of this blog. I run a project which I have developed myself. it has a name and the name is an outworking of a prophecy that I was given by my mum for me about my future working with children. The name has given my project an identity, a purpose and a hoodie! But I may now be called to give up the name even though all the work that I have developed through it will continue and probably grow. I have wrestled with this for weeks now. Have I have made the name an idol, has the project become more important than God the name above all names who gave me the project in the first place? Or does the name mean that I have grown something which has an identity and makes it feel part of something?
I have a feeling that these questions will remain for a while longer but as I sign off I'd like to think that you appreciate the work I have done on my blog design. I chose the text because it was called "cherry cream soda".......
Forgive me for going off on a tangent for a second but I wanted to share a wonderful conversation I had once with a little boy in my class when I was a teacher. I had been away to Guatemala and worked for a charity for a year and had said a sad farewell to the boy and his class the year before. When I returned I went back to visit the class and I told the children that they could ask me anything they wanted to about my big adventure. Bracing myself for questions about street children, drugs etc I was amazed when this question was posed to me. "Miss Raven, do you still remember my name?"
So what is in a name and what makes it so important? For some it is a badge of honour, for some a label. For some it is an identity a way to belong, for some it is simply something you have to have in order to exist. I mentioned that I had worked with street children in Guatemala. Many of those children didn't have an address or a birthday- but they all had a name.
So here's the crux of this blog. I run a project which I have developed myself. it has a name and the name is an outworking of a prophecy that I was given by my mum for me about my future working with children. The name has given my project an identity, a purpose and a hoodie! But I may now be called to give up the name even though all the work that I have developed through it will continue and probably grow. I have wrestled with this for weeks now. Have I have made the name an idol, has the project become more important than God the name above all names who gave me the project in the first place? Or does the name mean that I have grown something which has an identity and makes it feel part of something?
I have a feeling that these questions will remain for a while longer but as I sign off I'd like to think that you appreciate the work I have done on my blog design. I chose the text because it was called "cherry cream soda".......
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