This weekend I went on a canoe trip with a group of friends and had the privilege of traveling with a special companion, Traveler, also known as man’s best friend.  I kept thinking of how great his name was. What a waste it would be to have such a solid name and not live up to it.

It got me thinking about how important a name is and the importance of living up to a name.  We name our children, our pets, and some of us even name our cars.  Careful consideration goes into a name.  Take for instance, my first name, Trina.  Trina was my aunt’s name, my Mom’s oldest sister.  Her life was taken a few months before I was born.  I feel honored to share her name. It is though I am carrying on her life, but in a new way.  My middle name is Nichole.  It is of Greek origin and means “victory of the people”.  Both names are significant together and on their own.  Two distinct names with two distinct purposes.

Names not only identify us and serve a purpose, but they also define our character.  We can be negative, full of drama, hard to please, controlling or we can be loving, full of grace and mercy, forgiving, and easy going.  Those names can be inviting or ones we want to avoid all together. 

“A name is the blueprint of the thing we call character. You ask, What’s in a name? I answer, Just about everything you do.”

 So I am curious, what does your name say about you and how are you living up to it?