Many of us have nicknames, few have chosen the name themselves. I’ve had a few over my lifetime. Here’s the story of one of my favorites. Our daughter, at three years old, introduced me to her friend’s grandmother, saying, “This is Mommy, but you can call her Dodo Bird.” I turned scarlet that day, but afterward, it always made me laugh. At 15, my cousins dared me to eat a slice of pizza, which I hated. So just to show off, I ate two slices. That earned me the nickname Porker. Loved that one, too.
Some nicknames reflect who we really are, especially nicknames in the Bible. In Acts chapter 4, we meet Joseph from Cyprus, “whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement.” I like that nickname. Although on occasion I still feel like a Dodo or a Porker, I would rather be a Daughter of Barnabas. I’ll keep working at embodying the name, with God’s help. What’s your nickname? Does it match who you are? Would you like God to give you a new name? Praying on it with you, Tracy