What’s In a Name?

May 23, 2016

Remember the original CSI/Crime Scene Investigation program’s theme?

The rock group sang, “Whoo-ooo-oo are you? Whoo-ooo-oo are you?” Of course, for the program it meant they would identify the victim and the perpetrator of a crime.

For most of us, it comes closer to home.

You see, we don’t really know who we are. We know things like what we do, what family we come from, our likes and dislikes—but do those things tell us who we are?

Yes, we’re back on the identity series, and one thing that can help us discover our identity is our name.

For all my growing-up years and early adulthood, I firmly believed I should have been born a boy. Knowing my mom wanted a girl didn’t help. The abuse I suffered at the hands of my grandfather and his cult buddies convinced me it wasn’t safe or good to be a girl. It was dangerous to have that vulnerability. Besides, boys got all the advantages in life.

Then I attended my first Ancient Paths conference, through Family Foundations, Intl. This was (and is) an amazing inner healing seminar. The last thing they do for every participant is to give the meaning of their name. That was when I discovered that God had named me. He, the all-powerful and all-knowing one, had intended me to be a girl.

My parents couldn’t agree on a name for me. My father wanted me to be a Martha, and my mom had her heart set on Cynthia. The meaning of Cynthia relates it to the Roman goddess Artemis, and Martha means “woman of the house” in Aramaic. I don’t believe either one is a family name, so I have no idea where they came from. They compromised and named me after the daughter of the lawyer who was settling my maternal grandfather’s estate. Big whoop, right?

It was, a very big whoop. Even a “whoopee!”

My first name means “noble and womanly”, or “noblewoman”. It’s taken from Charles, meaning “strong”. My middle name means “faith”. So, taken all together (with a bit of poetic license), my name means noble woman of strong faith. I like that!