Nicknames can have powerful impacts that we often do not think about. We call someone a nickname and if they do not like it we claim it is just in fun.

Children learn while they are very young that names can hurt. Someone is called a name and their face immediately shows that they are not happy about it. This imprints upon a young mind that you can control someone else with a nickname. Kids learn to use negative nicknames on the playground as weapons.

Adults need to think about the nicknames they use for kids or other adults. If you call your baby “Rolly Polly” thinking it’s cute, what sort of message are you sending him? Also, what happens if this name is picked up by older siblings or neighborhood children and used to taunt your child later in life?

How about when someone trips over something or knocks something down? Do you call them something like “clumsy idiot?” What are you telling them with that statement?

What we say to someone does matter. All people need to hear something good either through a nickname or some other way.

Words and nicknames can hurt, but they can also be used for good. Jesus took Simon who was an unpredictable man and gave him a new name. He said “You are Peter(rock).” Jesus was saying “I believe in you. You are going to be a solid, dependable person. You are something great.” He changed Simon Peter’s life.

Jesus also says you can be called something else if you receive His love and forgiveness. I John 3:1 says “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” “Child of God” is a better name for us than what we often hear.

For yourself, stop believing the negative names people have called you and start believing what God calls you. Also, think about what you call people. Does it lift them up or tear them down? Use your words and your nicknames for good.