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Mark 3:17
James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”), (NLT)
What were the circumstances surrounding your naming?

The community is filled with people that were named wrongly, named to answer relatives, named to curse a father who rejected pregnancy, named to express pain or depression. Names like “Nhamo” (tribulations) “Tambudzai” (frustrate or persecute) “Sikhathele” ( We are tired).

The sad reality is that long after those same relatives are dead, your child will have to live with his or her name for the rest of his/her life. They will wonder why they were named such and this will affect their world-view to life.

School children can be unkind and we hear of many children who are teased and scoffed at school all because of their names. This takes away the confidence of children and they end up rejected and many even end up being bullies. Thus it becomes a vicious cycle.

If as a mother you are angry with certain people who might have caused you pain during your pregnancy, do not name your child according to your feelings and your present situation.

Bible- Image taken from Shutterstock

Nicknames for children may be loveable and appealing but they can also be deeply engrained in their destiny. For this reason we must wisely consider nicknames we give to one another, and what names we choose for our children. Good and bad, the words we hear and the names we’re called, have such a great impact on our hearts and lives.

Do not just embrace anything that your friends and family call you. We read of the brothers in the Bible who were nicknamed the sons of thunder by Jesus.

Nicknames are spiritual too, we see in the name that was given, it bore witness to the fiery zeal of the sons of Zebedee, in their wish to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans. Many nicknames belittle the person that they are given to, so we need to reject certain nicknames given to us or our family members.
God Bless!
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