Names that Live On

(finished February 28, 2010)

My Great Uncle Wallace died three weeks ago. He was 78 years old and had multiple health problems, but the primary one was a horrific emphysema which was brought on by a lifetime of chain-smoking. Uncle Wally was my Grandma Harness's baby brother, the youngest of seven, and he was the last of the Whitton siblings to survive. He and Grandma were very close, had that same Kentucky accent. They said things like Missoura and Cincinnata. Aunt Cecil was pronounced Aint Cecil. I grew up in northwest Indiana and Wallace and Betty lived in Cincinnati, so we were lucky if we saw them once a year. Wallace worked for AVON, was a professional bowler and a collector of coins. He was an avid Reds fan and took us to a Cubs/Reds game, I believe in 1984, when the Cubs ended up winning the pennant. But the reason I loved to visit the Whittons as a kid was because Uncle Wally was so, so funny. Everyone around him was constantly in stitches. When we went out to restaurants, he would "harrass" the waitress (always good-naturedly) to no end. He was simply fun to be around.

Neither of the Whitton "sons" had a male heir. Wallace and Betty had no children and Gratsie had only daughters. Three of my Grandma's siblings died in or around 1999, the year before my firstborn came to be. We named Whitton, in large part, after Grandma (Martha Elizabeth Whitton (Wingate) Harness), but also after her wonderful family, as a way to pass on their legacy, which is our legacy now as well. I was happy to be able to drive over to the funeral in Owenton, KY, with my cousin, Jill (who did ALL the driving!). As we went in, we found distant relatives and introduced ourselves. Photos scrolled past on a large tv screen with hymns accompanying them quietly in the background. They told part of a life story, a story of true love (with his wife), sacrifice (for his country), poetry (for the important things), commitment (to friends and family), and laughter. Quite honestly, I wish there had been more stories told, but there were enough to make me cry at them and to make me thankful that Whitton Andrew Rice bears that name.

Now we have a new son, our fourth born. He was born just less than two years after Maren, on April 9, 2007, but not from my own womb. He was born to another, but he has been officially birthed into our family now, and once again, we had the decision of a name to give. I must say, that while I believe that names are important for their meaning, for some reason I have had a near-compulsion to give my children names that were a) phonetically pleasing to me with strong, beautiful sounds, and b) unique. I realize that what a strong, beautiful sound is is entirely personal, so you may really not like the sound of my kids' names. And, unique is often seen as "weird" for others. It just goes to show how personal it all is and how creatively God has made each of us. The fact that it can be such an arduous process for mother and father to come together on the decision is another testament to that.

Eyasu is the Amharic (Ethiopian national language) version of Joshua or Yeshua, from which Joshua and Jesus are both derived. We don't know all that went into the choice of that name for him, but we couldn't love it more. As I made my list of possible names before we received a referral, I was drawn to quite a few E names. Some were girls' names since we were open to siblings. I liked the connection with E-thiopia. I thought about Eden and Eloise, Ezra and Ephraim...and Ezekiel. So, it didn't happen that I was doing a study of the prophet Ezekiel first. But since we picked it, I've gone back to look at his book within The Book.

A name like Ezekiel is a name like Job, in a way. Awhile back, Ben and I had a conversation about the name Job and I wondered, "Why in the world have I never heard of a man (outside of the Bible) named Job?" God said of Job, "He was blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil." (Job 1:1 nlt) Job withstood the worst suffering imaginable, horrible trials of every kind, and did not sin in his response to God. People do not name their sons Job because of the association with pain and trials, I guess. But can this be true? Are we all really that shallow to not remember that the circumstances of our lives make very little difference at all, but what God thinks of us means everything? O to be a Job! May it be so.

The subtitle for the Book of Ezekiel could be: Very, Very Bad News for Israel and Her Enemies, a Brief Glimmer of Hope for the Future, and The Temple to Come. The subheadings in the Book of Ezekiel in the first 30 chapters mostly sound like this sampling: A Sign of the Coming Judgment, The Coming of the End, Signs of the Coming Exile, The Slaughter of Idolaters, A Funeral Song for Israel's Kings. Ok? Not happy stuff. Rebellion and warnings and sin and judgement...galore. So, this was Ezekiel's day job. He gave these somber messages and had to act them out in allegorical ways sometimes when God told him to do so. His wife died, and he was to use it as a metaphor for Israel. Who would want an Ezekiel around? "Here comes Zeke, let's go, you know he's going to have more bad news that involves our destruction!" But what is true and important about this man? He was God's mouthpiece. He was faithful to give each message that God wanted him to deliver. God called him Israel's Watchman. During a war, countries would have watchmen on the walls to look out for the enemy and it was their job to warn the people of impending danger.

Ezekiel 33:3-6 "When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he blows the alarm to warn the people. Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action-- well, it is their own fault if they die. They heard the warning but wouldn't listen, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning they could have saved their lives. But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn't sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their deaths. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman accountable. Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel."

Yesterday my brother-in-law Andy called from his ocean-view high-rise apartment just a couple blocks from Waikiki Beach in Hawaii and said he'd been wakened by tsunami alarms. They warned the people that dangerous, potentially deadly waves may be on their way. The alarms blared loudly and long enough to shake residents from deep sleep. I don't know what we could possibly need more in this age than a watchman, someone to sound the alarm. The final judgment IS coming. There IS a way of escape through Jesus, the Great Rescuer. We certainly need many Ezekiels in our day. The fact of the matter in this fallen world is that there will continue to be despair and destruction for a time. But the reign of the Enemy is short-lived. And so I say, in the spirit of Ezekiel, repent now, put your faith in the Christ while there is still time-- and you will live...and I will live. May our little Ezekiel have this same zeal for God and His Word and His Message of hope and peace and prophecy. May he sound the call faithfully and proclaim loudly the message he is given.