I remember when I learnt one Sunday during service that our names are actually the first prophetic words over our lives. I honestly didn’t think too much before then about how significant a name really is. If you really think about it, it does matter what you are called. The meaning of our names matter. For those who may not be familiar, the term prophetic, in the simplest form, means to foretell what will happen in the future. You can probably now understand why what you call others can help shape the trajectory of their lives. So, if the names which we are identified by have a negative connotation, then we could potentially be set up for failure even before birth if our parents did not choose wisely. This is not to say that our lives cannot be influenced positively by our faith, but being set up for success from birth or even before could make the world of a difference.
I remember repeatedly searching Google to figure out the meaning of my first name for several years, only to keep seeing the same insignificant meaning; ‘a woman from Britain’. How lame is that?! Lol. For so long I thought that my name had no significance except for the fact that I seemed to share it with every other other girl on earth…. I know, I’m exaggerating lol, but the point is that it’s pretty common. And don’t even get me started on the pronunciation… This was always so annoying for me. Because of this, from a young age I gravitated more towards my middle name. I embraced it even more when I discovered that it was supposed to be my first name originally, given by my father. I’ve always loved it and even desired to switch my first and middle names around.
I’ll share a quick story to give some context. When I started medical school, there was another student in my class with the same exact first and last name as mine. There were 2 of us! And the only way we could tell the difference on paper was either by our middle initials or ID numbers. Despite that, there were still many instances of confusion and mix-ups which resulted in 5 years of frustration. This might sound silly but hear me out. I was thrown into an identity crisis because I no longer felt unique. Sure there were many others with whom I shared my name, but up until that point I never had to be around someone on a daily basis who shared my full government name. At the time, it felt like having 2 copies of the same thing, even though that certainly was not the case. Around this time was when I really started to use my middle name in everyday life. No longer could I simply sign my first and last initials as usual. I changed my name on every platform and that’s how Brittany Krystal became my standard. I guess you’ve probably figured that out by now… given the name of this blog and the way I end each post.
It wasn’t until earlier this year that I decided to research the meaning of my middle ‘should have been first’ name. It means “follower of Christ”; “sparkling”. When I discovered this, a light bulb immediately came on. This explained so much about why I am the way I am! Even though I knew my first name technically had no true meaning, I was determined to search the internet until I found some meaning of significance. After much searching, I finally found something! “Clever / Ingenious”. For the first time, I didn’t even care about the credibility of the source. I was so relieved to find a meaning of significance that I just took that one and ran with it.
Now, I am aware that everytime my name is said or written, a declaration is being spoken over my life that I am a “clever, ingenious, follower of Christ, sparkling”. Isn’t that beautiful!? Well, at least it is to me lol. I challenge you to join me by looking for the meaning of your name and see what has been declared over your life. If you can’t find a meaning, don’t worry! Look up your middle name or even your pet name. If for any reason you still don’t like those, pick a name with a meaning of significance to you and start declaring over your life what you want it to look like!
Love & Blessings,
Brittany Krystal.
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Let's B. Krystal Klearr 