My Name

I have two names. Helen is the one that most people know me by now and the other one is the one my father gave me. My father knew that every child needs someone to look up to and as he loved the wonderful qualities of my mother he gave me her first name. I have learnt to love him for this. If I had been named for my personality I should have been called Norma after my father. Then of course there is my maiden name, the one I used before I got married. Names are such tricky things. We are seeing a great variety of names that parents are giving to their children particularly celebrities.

So why did I change my name? As I have always stated, I have a lot of my father’s DNA in me. As a young person trying to be the same as my mother was such a struggle that depression was always snapping at my heels. So one night God and I had a very long conversation about using my middle name as the name to be known by. This way I live my life as who He had made me not who I wanted to be.

In the past, the name you were given told the world a lot about who you were, what your father’s career was or where you resided. Many parents would not have had a choice as to what name they bestowed on their children. There were another couple set of parents who were directed to name their child with a particular name. “But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.” Luke 1:13. “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.” Luke 1:31

When I changed my name someone suggested that Saint Peter would not know me when I knocked on the gates of Heaven but since God and I had that conversation I have no doubts that Helen will be received with open arms. “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” Isaiah 43:1