“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” — Matthew 1:21 (NIV)

After the birth of my first child I was peering into the hospital nursery window. A young mother walked up to the glass with a friend who asked, What did you name her? The young mother rattled off a multiple syllable word and her friend started laughing then she asked, Why in the world did you name her that? To which the young mother replied, I like the way it sounds.

In times past the process of naming a baby had more to do with bequeathing character than it does with how a name sounds. A child was taught to live up to their name. When God became man He chose the name Jesus because it means Savior. In the mind of the ancients the words name and character were synonyms. This is why Christian tradition teaches us to pray In the name of Jesus. It means we are asking because of His character, not ours.

Now, consider your own name and the name of others that you’ll see today. To the human ear, there is no sweeter sound than hearing our own name, especially when it appeals to our character within.