What's in a Name

I was talking to a man here at the mission the other day about names and there meaning. His surname is Mushabati, which means big sands or lots of sand. His first name is Million. He told me that when he was younger his parents did not name him because a number of his brothers and sisters died young and they thought he would as well. But he survived childhood and grew up a little and somewhere he heard the word Million and liked it; so he started calling himself Million. Only later when he got into school did he find out that 'Million' was a big number.
It just got me thinking about the importance of a name. Names in the US don't seem to hold such meaning as they do here; but here in Zimba most people are just known by one name. If one asks for someone rarely is their full name used. Is Edie, Dennis, Collins, Jesse there? Everyone just knows. I have met others with names like Gift, Difficult, Average, and Precocious.
I have a man helping with the concrete work on this bathroom project and his name is Leonard. One day it was about 9:30 before he came so I started asking if anyone had seen him. The person I asked knew who I was talking about and had seen him in the market. He was coming. There is power in a name.
Continuing this thought, it reminded me of Philippians 2:5-11 where God gave His Son, Jesus, the name that is above every name. The verses tell us that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. At the name Jesus people are healed physically and spiritually. At His name, demons are cast out and strongholds broken down. Because of what Jesus did in here there is so much hope for the future; so much love. The importance of a name.

Relaxing on Saturday