What's In a Name

I think there is a lot in a name. My mom has often said that people live up to the names given to them. Whether the "name" be "stupid", "smart", "funny", "mean", or literally there name, be it Timothy, Sarah, Robert or Tera. She warned me to be careful what I called people, good or bad, because whether they are truly that name or not, they will begin to live up to it.

I've kept that in mind, and so far it seems true, at least most of the time. For this reason and others I knew I wanted to pick great names for my future children, names they would strive to live up.

Michael and I recently decided on the name "Caleb Andrew" for our baby. We both liked the sound of the names, their meanings, and we liked the Caleb and Andrew in the Bible. Caleb means “faith, devotion, and whole hearted.” Andrew means “warrior” or “courageous”.

The Caleb in the Old Testament wandered in the desert with Moses and the Israelites. When they arrived at Canaan, Caleb was one of the twelve spies (one from each tribe) that went into Canaan to check it out and report back to the rest of the people. Upon the spies return they reported great things about the land of Canaan, and that it was indeed flowing with milk and honey. Caleb and another spy, Joshua, insisted they defeat the people and take over Canaan, while the other ten spies convinced the people that this was impossible. The people were huge and the city was fortified, they did not believe they could defeat them. Despite Caleb and Joshua’s efforts, the people believed the other ten spies and had lost their faith and questioned why God even brought them to this place. They were so faithless that many wanted to return to captivity in Egypt where they could die. As you know God punished them by making them wander in the dessert until everyone over 20 had died, because they would not be allowed into Canaan. BUT because Caleb and Joshua were faithful and believed God, they would be allowed to enter Canaan when it came time. Because of this, Caleb is known for his faith, devotion and whole heartedness.

Andrew of course was a disciple. He was a fisherman (which Michael thinks is really cool) and brought many people to the Lord, including his own brother Peter. Jesus instructed Andrew (and the other fisherman he was with) to be fishers of men. And he was. Andrew is the disciple that brought the boy with the 5 loaves and two fish to the hillside where Jesus miraculously fed thousands of people. He was also present at many other “major” events in the Bible. Andrew is also the name of Michael’s best friend. Andrew is a great Christian man, a true friend and great influence and encouragement to Michael. We really appreciate him and are honored that he is willing to share his name with our little boy.