Nicknames are rabid in sports. In fact, many of us would say with certainty that the nickname of some sports figures was actually their given name. Here is a quick test of this statement. How many of you would know the real given names of Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, Magic Johnson, or Dizzy Dean? Sometimes the nickname along with a person's first name has replaced the use of the person's last name. Thus we have examples in Stan the Man, Broadway Joe, or Slamming Sammy.
As for me, I still have a few of the red hairs that once covered all of my head. I heard names like Red or Carrot Top used by some friends in school. Later, my last name of Loudermilk was often changed to Buttermilk, Chocolate Milk, or Quieter Cream. Nicknames are prevalent in our culture. You probably have had one at some point in your life.
But what if instead of a friend, family member, or competitor, the one to give you a nickname was God? Specifically, what would be the nickname that God would give you? We know that Jim in the Bible God the Father changed the names of several people giving them a new name with a fresh or extended meaning. Abram became Abraham and his wife Sarai became Sarah. Jacob was renamed as Israel. Jesus did the same as he renamed his disciple Simon to the name Peter meaning the rock.
When God gave a person a new name, it fit their personality or their role in life. Considering our lives, our personalities, or our purposes and vocations, what new name or nickname would God give to each of us? I would think that some people I know might receive names like Faithful, Courageous, Humble, or Caring. Others might receive names that reflect a work in progress such as Wishy Washy, Not Finished, or Try Again. I have no doubt that mine would somehow reflect my proneness to procrastination. God might give me a nickname like Pokey or Tomorrow.
While this is a fun exercise in considering what God would rename each of us, it is also a wake up call to how He sees us and perhaps how others see us as well. Here is another thought. Too often people try to give God a nickname. You may hear God referred to as The Man Upstairs or as The Big Guy. I tend to cringe when I hear those references to God. The Bible gives us plenty of ways we can call upon God using a proper name. He told Moses that His name was I Am. Jesus told us to pray Our Father. We probably most often refer to Him as Lord.
Truthfully, I am not partial to any name God should bestow on me. I like what Jesus reminded His disciples after they had gone out two by two to many villages and towns. In Luke 10:20 He reminded them of the greatest truth about their names.
"Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are
subject to you, but rejoice that your names
are written in heaven."
Call me whatever you choose to call me. I want to be certain that the name that God calls me by is written in heaven, in the Lamb's Book of Life. The only way anyone's name is written there is because that person has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, claiming Him and Him alone as their Savior and Lord, the one way to God the Father.
My prayer is not just that our names are written in heaven but that we will share Jesus with others that their names might also be written there. Then we might discover that our nickname is Faithful Servant.
P.S. In case you need the names from the first paragraph: George, Lawrence, Erwin, Jay
and Musial, Namath, Snead.
P.P.S. The first draft had Isaac changed to Israel, but it was Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. That is what happens when I trust my memory rather than checking resources, in this case Genesis 35:10. Thanks to my friend Billy, Bill, William Tinsley for catching my mistake.
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