Published 11 Oct 2024
What's in a name?
Just a few letters pack a big punch
A blog post Women Scholars and Professionals
We are all deeply connected. Each of us experience our own identity in a web of relationships with our communities, our families, our friends, and our closest loved ones. How do these relationships affect our sense of self in something as very personal as our names? Dr. Lakeya Afolalu writes of her own quest to decide about keeping her name or changing to a new one after marrying. Her journey invites us all to consider our own identities and the significance that is embedded in each of our names, whether you’ve had them for your whole life or for just a few weeks. (And if you’re wrestling with this question yourself, check out our Dear Mentor responses for a variety of perspectives.)
“All these achievements have been realized under my new last name, Afolalu. They serve as a testament to the enduring strength, power, and determination of the Omogun legacy that I will forever carry with me.”
To be called by name is an experience of care and intimacy, one that our God offers to us. In Scripture, we watch Jesus’s intimate conversations, calling people by name and inviting them to follow him. We’re recalling Amy White Ziegler’s reflection on the repetition of Martha’s name and the lessons she drew from that exchange with Jesus. How is God speaking to you by name these days? We’re here to encourage you to listen for the gentle and loving voice speaking your very own name.
“This passage from Luke’s gospel is a reminder that we can tell Jesus, even very honestly, how we feel about the cultural and professional expectations we encounter. We can complain to him that some situation or some institution is asking too much of us, asking too little of us, or failing to see our value beyond a gender-specific box. When she relates to Jesus with deep honesty, we see Jesus calling Martha away from cultural expectations and toward a life shaped by him.”
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