Whats In a Name?

I love dragonflies and damselflies.  I also love the names they have been given.  Damselflies especially sport some rather risque and creative names, which makes looking for them all the more fun.  One of the very first jobs that was given to man by God was to name all of the creatures God had created.  In Genesis 2:19-20, "Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. . . ."

One of my favorite damselflies is the Painted Damsel.  The beautiful array of colors I find breath taking.  While I am a big wildflower nerd as well, I think some of the most remarkable colors in Creation can be found on dragon- and damselflies.  The photo below was taken along the Santa Cruz River in extreme southern Arizona, not far from the Mexican border.

One of my favorite damselfly names belongs to the Springwater Dancer.  When I hear this name my imagination conjures up an image of a woman, clothed in animal skins, dancing out on a distant grassy plain, celebrating the arrival of spring.  Below is a Springwater Dancer sitting on a rock at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, AZ.

Jesus has been given lots of names as well.  A poster in my home lists the many names of Jesus, 53 in total.  Among them are Prince of Peace, Immanuel, and Rose of Sharon.  The many names of Jesus can help remind us of His power and His love for us.  We can find comfort in the Prince of Peace and strength in the Rock of Our Salvation!

Frequently we underestimate the power of a name.  We can use names to be hurtful, or to encourage, or even to entertain and make us smile.  Think about the names that you use.  Do you use them in a spirit of love?  Remember, there is a lot in a name!