Pick Your Name

When did you have to decide what your name would be? American women do when they marry – continue to use their birth surname, it is as a middle name, use their husband’s surname, hyphenate the names or combinations thereof.

I received a letter from a credit card company we use and they said I would have to change the name now on the card. One card has Beloved Husbands’ first name and last name, spelled out in full. Mine did, too, but my first name has two letters more than his – two letters more than the now accepted minimum for the card. His stays, mine gets changed. Hmmm. What to use?

Everyone gets nicknames. Mine was flis, written by Beloved Husband on the fender of our first car together, had to be in script. Didn’t last. He and our son didn’t shorten their given names as nicknames – no “Dave” nor “Bob.” Full names only. So. the surname got shortened. Everyone with a fourteen-letter surname gets it shortened in some way. Most of those with ours end up as Blick. Thus, Grammy Blick.

My Dad, born Elmer Jerry, ended up with “Domer” because a young cousin mangled Elmer. It stayed with him so closely that many thought that was his name. His Dad was known around his community as Matt – or more usually Uncle Matt – though he was born James Madison.

Adoptees get new names. My husband’s surname went from Grove to Blickensderfer. Yes, it is much easier to write. Interestingly, both surnames originated in Switzerland. Both families lived near Zurich in the 1600’s, leaving due to the persecution of Anabaptists. Graf family went to France, the Blick family went to Germany. Shortly before 1700 the Grafs went through Philadelphia to Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and shortly after 1700 the Blicks did the same, both ending up in Lititz. Both families moved from there to Ohio, joining in my husband’s adoption.

There’s another adoption available to everyone on this earth.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:15-16 KJV)

To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:5 KJV)

My husband had no say in his earthly adoption. That was determined by Oklahoma’s judicial system and the personal preference of the parents selecting their new children.

We must make the decision to become children of God. He will not make it so without our decision to do so. Many do not, electing instead to remain separated from Him throughout all time – and beyond. Their reason for not accepting is they do not believe He exists.

There are so many examples of faith – the belief in the unknown, in what others have said – that we see every single day. Sometimes that faith is discovered to be unfounded. Our faith in something is shattered.

Faith in God goes beyond anything we see in this earth, and the promises are greater than anything we can imagine. To deny such without investigation is costly beyond measure, yet many do so.

Just as we need to know why we believe, we also need to investigate, to understand and be able to explain what and why we do not believe, before we pick our name.