Hi! My name is…

Have you ever wondered what your name is? I mean, NO, not your birth name in a literal sense, but the name that captures who you really are. I thought about this after reading the story of Jacob.

Gen 32:24-31-

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

²⁷ The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob," he answered.

²⁸ Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, ^[e] because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."

Upon doing some research, I realized that the name Jacob was actually a summary of his lifestyle and personality traits up to the time that he had a divine encounter with God. Jacob means "he who supplants"- which could be explained- "he who takes someone else's place by force, scheming, strategy and the like". Looking through Jacob's life, he had been all those things (a cautionary tale to mothers). He had deceived his blind father and had stolen his brother's dignity (through stealing his birthright) and had lived a life of trickery and of being tricked ever since.

I don't know if Jacob ever realized the bad luck of his name before this incident, but he did come face to face with himself when he met God. The angel asked him his name and he could not help but realize how awful he was.

However, one thing must be noted. Jacob didn't just stop there. He refused to let go of God until there was change. The angel renamed him "Israel" which means "God perseveres/contends". This really encourages me! I saw myself in Jacob's place, and I began to wonder what I would answer if God asked me my name. Would I say "my name is hypocrite"? Or how about saying, "My name in 'inconsistent', 'insecure', or 'procrastinator'"? It brings me shame to think of who I really am.

GLORY BE TO GOD that when I meet him, He changes my name, if I seek Him with the whole heart! God has renamed me! He has changed, and is continuing to change and free me from the bondage of my past personality, and stereotypes, and compulsions. I can finally say

"HI MY NAME IS…"

--
Liselle Coker
DKA Clayborn,Lovely Lambda#08FA08, Reverse Osmosis
Howard University School of Architecture, May'09