Have you ever given any thought to your name? I guess most of people don’t, but if you have an unusual name you’re probably more aware of it than most. Do you know what your name means?
Digby is hardly a common name, but it crops up from time to time even in New Zealand. It’s taken from a small town in England but its derivation comes from Old Norse and means “ditch by the farm” - hardly salubrious but definitely not forgettable.
Actually I quite like my name. Invariably I have to repeat it more than once when I first meet people and nearly always have to spell it on the phone to some operator whose ablity to spell is only slightly better than their capacity to listen.
Names are identifiers, but not just for other people. Names frame the way we think about ourselves. If I am asked the question, “who are you?” I would respond, “Digby”. However, my name is more than a sound, it’s a verbal expression that carries a lifetime of baggage and experience that makes me who I am. My name is the doorway to my personality.
Because our names are so laden with our own history, it’s not difficult to understand why some people wish to change them. There are all sorts of reasons, but a new name is like a new start. Even though it’s a hard shift for others, it forces a change of image, even if that shift comes with a degree of frustration for others.
Over the years I have known a number of people change their names and in most cases it has been a deeply symbolic experience. It’s like relinquishing an old garment that has become destructive rather than helpful.
Personally I think we need to like our names and their associations because we need to like who we are – we need to be comfortable in our own skin. However, comfortable doesn’t mean complacent. Sometimes we might be happy with who we are, but no one else is and we refuse to care. If that’s the case, there’s a problem.
Though we might struggle with the idea of name changing, there’s good biblical precedent for it. Throughout the Bible people were given new names as a kind of symbol of a changed life. New ways of seeing God, the world and themselves meant a whole new person had been created and a new name was required.
However it’s not a magic bullet. In the biblical stories people changed first and then got a new name. And that’s the complicated part. How do we change a lifetime of experiences that have shaped us? The Christian answer is simple – an encounter with a living God.
Centuries of people have turned to God through prayer and had their lives turned upside down. It’s hardly a comfortable experience but becoming a new person often means re-learning, re-thinking and re-shaping. It is worth it though.
A new name is great thought. But to be of any use, a new life must come first.
Do you like yours?
Digby Wilkinson