Me, a name I call myself

We talked about this in the girl's meeting about 2 weeks ago, the meaning of our names and how that applies to us and who we are. Most cultures put more thought into the meaning behind names, whereas american culture tends to just go with what fits with the last name and sounds cool.

But my name, Alison, apparently means "Noble" or "Of Noble Birth." Lately this has been a concept on my mind a lot, because of a sermon I heard last Sunday. He was talking about how most Christians approach their faith as a list of things we can't do and don't do and won't do and list after list of negative things. The viewpoint that he suggested we adopt was one of holy identity. We are the royal daughters and sons of the RULER OF THE UNIVERSE. This endows us with... an inheritance, a place of belonging, an identity beyond our given earthly status. So our behavior should not be based upon a structure of dos and don'ts, but rather we should look at who we are, and what behavior is befitting of such a royal personage.

I have definitely seen this get out of control, people thinking that this means that they are entitled to act superior and call themselves "GoDs LiTtLe PrInCeSs" or something else mind-bogglingly self-centered. The biggest thing that I draw from this is that the title? It has nothing to do with anything I have done. At all.

Another thing that I draw from the meaning of my name is the concept of responsibility. The phrase "Noblesse Oblige" comes to mind when I think of the word noble. At it's core, that means "With power comes responsibility." I have things at my disposal that others don't, so I should use those accordingly.


...the end. For now.