Kibaya Kyangu!

 

"What names are you giving your children? Be intentional about the names you choose! "

Heard this question/ Statement before?

Well, I believe this is very important and is a fact. What you declare out of your mouth ends up forming in the physical and yet on the other hand I see God's grace in this particular situation. 

My Father was born to Sarah Alexa Nakandi and Kulikaano Iga in Nakuru Kenya. He was nicknamed “Kibaya Kyangu” translated My Ugly one. The name Kibaya puzzled me for a long time especially after I found out the meaning. According to him, the nick name was given in reference to his appearance. In his words; “as a baby I wasn’t so good looking.”

No one knew that contrary to his nick name, my Father, Freddie Henry Kasozi (FHK) was going to be the exact opposite and even surpass it. 

Excerpt from "Lessons From My Father."

This particular excerpt is a testament to the grace of God. I can refer to as many characters in the bible that were named and of course, the meanings of their names were negative. Jacob for example meaning thief, God renamed Israel to mean (Prevailer), Abram meaning (exalted father), then named Abraham by God to mean (father of many nations), Sarai meaning princess was named Sarah by God to mean (mother of nations).  

In my father's case, it was a nickname. Out of affection and ignorance, my grandma nicknamed him. I guess as she mentioned his name, it was with such fondness and love. Yet in the real sense, it was a declaration of what he would supposedly become; "my ugly one." On the contrary, he became the exact opposite of the name. He was such a loving, tender-hearted person. Physically too; he was an attractive young lad turned into an adult. 

I have heard of experiences where parents, guardians, and people that generally are left in the care of children call them names. Some are good, and others are really bad. 

Often times, when a child messes up and the adult gets angry, the name-calling comes through...

"you silly, stupid, daft, empty-headed...and many more ugly titles you can think of. 

Some adults in fact  charge for animal names...you dog, cow, sheep, goat....eish; the list is endless

Have you been called these names at some point in your life?

What really is special to me at this point is the Grace of God and how He has decided to cover our past. The bible explicitly mentions the fact that we have been called by name. 

Isaiah 43:1

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 

Ever asked yourself which name He calls you by? Well, that's for you to discover. 

I think this for me changes everything, wipes away the ugly names I have been called. I am his forever, called by him, I am His son...

So, while growing up, i and a group of friends made jokes about African-American names. These guys seemed to have a zeal for Africa. You could tell by the names they gave their children. I came across names like; Togo, Mozambique, Arusha, Kampala,...anything that sounded African was good to go. 

I often joked about the names I would choose for my children...in fact at some point my friends knew I would go for names like Shanaine, Charmaine, and Tosha...close to African American names...

Anyhow, recently I introduced my daughter to one of my friends and of course, she wasn't surprised...she said to me;

"I knew you would come up with such a name."

It turns out though that I had nothing to do with naming this child in fact her father named her Tinashe, a Shona name meaning (God is with us). 

Proverbs 22:1 

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold. 

That is how important a name is...God has called us by name and we must embrace His name. we must go by His name!

What names do you go by?