Thursday 26 August 2010

Ahasuerus

Speaking of names...
yes, it was in the conversation at one point...I came up with a name for my sister's 5th child...I don't officially know what the babe is...BUT when I went to visit her for my cousins wedding I went prepared...you see my sister has many boys and if this new babe is another boy THEN the name has to be spectacular, spectacular...of course, being the younger sister that I am I kindle offer my suggestions, my two cents as it were...although generally when this happens...my two cents gets stripped of it's value and i find myself becoming the butt of a family joke...like when I thought I was being innovative and imaginative asking my mum what kind of mansion/house/palace she would get in heaven? Her reply was that she was getting her own planet thank you very much! all the while looking at me like I was an idiot...with that, my two cents officially became worthless...and I never talk about heaven any more...or planets...even houses are a bit sad for me...

now there is a babe that needs a name...and with my intuitive skills, sisterly love and limited imagination I came up with a plan...you see my sister already has a prophet, a priestly offering, a warrior, and Simeon (who we can't figure out if he's the son of thunder from the 12 tribes, or if he is the patience Simeon who waited to see Jesus before he died)... he's working that out...meanwhile...my sister is having a child and I racked the bible and my brain to find a solution...a name please...and then, a brilliant light of genius struck an axon hillock somewhere and caused a chain reaction of neuronal messaging which filled my cortex with the name...Ahasuerus (picture lights flashing)...reasons for: my sister needs a king name...and I knew that David was too done...Solomon and Josiah too trendy with her friends right now...Manasseh too evil...Joash, bad nickname...Hezekiah, meh...but Ahasuerus or Xerxes, amazing (angels were singing somewhere)
I mean who has that name for one...it's a king name...in the bible...I safely tucked away my little name until I got to Three Hills to bring up the issue of what to name the little babe...but when I told her what I had come up with; without any hesitation she bluntly pointed out..."He was a pawn."
"but, but..." my mind was reeling
"He was just a pawn, he didn't actually do anything great at all." She reiterated...
worthless, no good two cents of mine...crushed...bowed...beated...I came home.

but as I think about it I still think that name has merit. yes, he was a pawn, a heathen, violent king who made rash decisions when he was drunk. this is not sounding good for my case but hang in...I understand that everybody wants their kid to be named after someone great, who did something extraordinary, almost like imparting some sort of power into your wee babe just by naming them...and you shall be Teresa, off to Calcutta to hold dying people...go...hummm...poor kid, a name and a calling on the first day...
so here's my argument...aren't we all pawns? aren't we all just heathen's ruling our little selves while God orchestrates an eternal purpose to our existence...we play our trumpet, toot our own horn...and God makes a movement out of it...Ahasuerus thought he was choosing a hot girl...but she brought a lot of baggage into that relationship...he got the whole Jewish nation...
I kinda like it cause I see grace in a clueless drunk being used to save others...not in his own merit...or of his own awareness...just because God can use pawns...he can use anyone...even ahasuerus...

1 comment:

mums said...

ok, maybe not the ahazuaris pawn type name - the nickname maybe 'ari'?? liked your quick thinking though! And yes, I'm still counting on a planet - stars, angels and lots of waterfalls!
Love you,