Naming your child is one of the first responsibilities of parents. What are your considerations in giving names to your children? Have you considered giving them prophetic names? Here are the reasons why you should put value in the meaning of names. That might matter a lot to what they will become later in life.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ~Isaiah 9:6

Considerations in Naming Your Child

In Filipino families, the reasons for naming a baby is as varied as the stars in the sky. It could be any of the following:

• following an acronym
• the combination of grandparents’ names
• finding the most unique name
• using only consonants
• using only vowels
• having the same initials as the parents
• giving the shortest names
• after a famous celebrity
• the most trending name at the time
• after a fashion brand or icon

And the list goes on.

Chinese Names

The Chinese are very particular about naming their child and they take great responsibility for it. Usually, there are three characters to a Chinese name, with the first character being the last name or the clan’s name.

Meanwhile, the next two characters are the first names.

These two characters are chosen carefully by the parents and usually with the help of an astrologer. They are very concerned about luck and prosperity so the names should mean well and the characters mix in harmony. (Source)

For them, a lot of what happens in a person’s life starts with a name.

Blessing Your Children with Prophetic Names

The term “Prophetic” per se means describing or maybe predicting what will happen in the future.

That is the reason why we believe that our name meanings have a lot to do our lives than we think. It does not necessarily mean having the name of a biblical prophet. Rather, these may be character traits that God can use in achieving our life purpose.

For Christians, we believe in the power of names because the Bible is strewn with stories of great people and the meaning of their names.

Even the name of Jesus was foretold by the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament and was complete with great meanings.

We can just conclude from the many stories in the bible that naming your child has a lot to do with what or how they will become.

So a well-thought out and prophetic name is a real blessing to your child.

A Man Like Jabez

In the bible, there is a man named Jabez whose birth gave so much pain to his mother. So she named him Jabez, which literally means, “he makes sorrowful.”

I believe this is because of either of two things. She could have had experienced painful childbirth or his birth caused them so much trouble. Like, his mother was the one who named him and the father was not mentioned?

We don’t know the whole story but what the Bible tells us is that his mother had such a traumatic experience that she had to name him such.

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10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

1 Chronicles 4:10

We can also glean that his name brought his life so much pain so prayed that God will change his destiny. And God did. If you want to learn more about his prayer and how it could also change your life, read The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson.

Do We Use Outdated Biblical Names?

Naming your child using a prophetic name does not necessarily mean that we use the names in the Bible. Some of these names are very long and yes, rather outdated in our modern world. It would seem awkward and the kids might have a hard time relating to their peers.

And remember, the bible was originally written in a different language, hence if you are a Filipino, some of the names may sound funny.

However, if you research the meaning of names, you will find English variations to the meanings that you seek.

For example, we believe in God’s grace in our lives because, despite my infertility, I got pregnant naturally and gave birth to two lovely daughters.

The names of our daughters mean the same thing: The Lord is gracious. They are reminders and symbols of God’s grace in our lives.

Three Sons with Three Unique and Prophetic Names

Teacher Sheryll Ong of Bacolod City, directress of Bright Kids Preschool, has three sons who have unique names. I thought at first that their names were patterned after the first two letters of her husband’s name, Charlton Ong. But now she revealed the meanings of their names.

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“When we gave our sons their names, it became prophetic,” she discloses. Her three sons’ names are Chase, Chance, and Choice.

About Chase

When Chase Simon was born, Charlton and Sheryll were at a point of chasing their dreams. They were still in the process of adjusting in the marriage, building their family, and establishing a business.

About Chance

Chance Skyler was given that name because he was the second chance for Teacher Sheryll to become a mom. She had a miscarriage after Chase.

About Choice

When it was Choice’s turn, the Ong family was at a point where they had no choice but to accept God’s will of giving them all boys. They named him Choice Sheldon. So it is three sons for them.

Letting Your Kids Know

Now that you have chosen a good name for your child, what do you do? Tell them about it. Their names are a blessing and they should know that.

It is best to let your children know the meanings of their names.

Along with the blessing of their names at birth, encourage them to pursue the best version of themselves. Believe in them, too.

You may want to read The Blessing, a book about “Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance”. It is authored by John Trent, Gary Smalley, and Kari Trent Stageberg.

Life Lessons

Their boys’ names will always be reminders of the lessons they have learned in life. And Teacher Sheryll has this message to her boys:

• Take a CHANCE
• CHASE Your Dreams
• Make Good CHOICES

How about you, moms and dads? What are your considerations in naming your child?

Update About Bright Kids Preschool

Bright Kids Preschool has now shifted to online learning because of the threat of Covid-19.

To test out their capabilities, they held three batches of summer classes. That enabled them fix the different problems and solve the main points for both parents and kids.

Thankfully, their online classes have been going on smoothly. They have retained the best practices and introduced some innovations.

Moreover, their slogan has changed, too. From “Start Them Right, Make them Bright, their new slogan is:

A Bright Kid in Every Home

Bright Kids Plus

The school has also launched a new business unit called Bright Kids Plus. They cater to homeschooling needs of parents like study tables, printers, bond papers, headsets, video cam, and other things.

Additionally, they have play-and-learn kits to specifically cater to kids ages 1 to 5 years old. They also have workbooks and toys to help kids become productive at home.

• Related: Activities for Kids During Home Quarantine

Other Parenting Articles

Below are other parenting articles in this blog that you might like to read.

• When DepEd Tayo Grabs a Photo From Your Blog and Uses it Without Consent
• Use of Gadgets Among Children
• Teaching Kids to Cope with Disappointment
• Spending Quality Time with Each Child
• Why WE Don’t Give Kids Everything they Ask For
• Family Travel: The Quest for the Old and New
• Dealing with a Child’s Imaginary Friend