Outlandish Virtue: What Would You Name Yourself If You Were a Quaker?

In Diana Gabaldon's latest novel in the Outlander series, Go Tell the Bees That I am Gone, the Fraser family attends a Quaker meeting. There, they discuss the kinds of names Quakers choose for their children--names like Patience, Charity, and Prudence. Historically, Quakers named their offspring after virtues that they wanted the children to embody.  In the book, they asked the question, what would you call yourself, if you named yourself after a virtue?

The apostle Saul (named after Israel's first king, a giant of a man) changed his name to Paul, which means "small."  It seems that he wanted to offset his lofty call to ministry with a humble name.

Paul's friend Joseph changed his name (or had it changed for him) to Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement."  It's no question what virtue he wanted to embody.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, God changed the name of Sarai (meaning "She who Strives") to Sarah-- "Princess."  It seems she took her position as mother of a nation quite literally!

Not everybody has to change their name, to be named after a virtue.  When I was young, I learned that my name, Gregory, means the nouns "Protector" and "Watchman," as well as the adjectives, "Vigilant" and "Fierce."  I always took that to heart.  Both as a pastor and now as a case manager, I have seen myself as a guardian of other people.  So I didn't have to change my name in order to be named after a virtue.  Knowing my name had a virtuous meaning was significant in my self-understanding.  If I could pick any virtuous name, it would probably be exactly what it already is.  

So, what would you call yourself, if you could change your name to reflect any virtue?  Would you be Piety, or Holiness, or Constance?  Maybe Welcome or Assistance or Selflessness? If by changing your name you could shift your focus, what would you become?  What Virtue do you hold most dear, and what would you do, to embody that character trait even more in your life?

I Peter 1:5-7 ESV says,"...Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love."  Make every effort, Paul says.  What if you placed your foremost virtue so prominently in your mind that it became as familiar to you as your own name?  You become what you focus on the most, so pretty soon you would become that outlandish virtue, and it would become you.  

Jesus must have thought that names were important--so he chose to be called Immanuel, or "God With Us."  Whether you change your name or not, the question remains--how do you want to be known?  By living out your ultimate virtue, you create a legacy that will outlast you.  If your goal is to be like Jesus, you'll want people to see a bit of God when they look at you.