Genesis 35:18 With her last breath, for she was now dying, she named him Ben-oni (Son-of-My-Pain), but his father named him Ben-jamin (Son-of-Good-Fortune).

On the way to Bethel, where God renewed His covenant with Jacob, hardship struck Jacob and his family. Rachel went through a very difficult labour, and as she died, she named her son Ben-Oni. In that name lay all the pain and sorrow she had to go through.

I suspect that if my mother had to name me after everything I had put her through, it would probably have been something like Giver of Gray Hair. But wait, we’re straying from the storyline now.

However, Jacob put a stop to the negative name and immediately changed his son’s name to Benjamin, which literally means “son of the right hand”. At that time, it referred to honour, favour, protection and strength. It at least indicated a much brighter future. And yes, in the end, famous people like Saul, Jonathan, Mordecai and even Paul came from his descendants. Truly blessed!

In our lives, hurt, hardship and even death may turn up. It is important to allow ourselves time to grieve, but there must come a point where we step out of the dark room and take life by the horns again.

We know God is there to help us. It is within the safety of an intimate relationship with Him that we find the strength to stand back up, leave our hardships in the past, and walk forward into a new day.

Jacob’s relationship with God ran so deep, he had learned the sacred art of trading his heavy burdens for a hope that could not be shaken. The more closely we walk with God, the more we develop the spiritual resilience to navigate life’s hardest seasons.

Names carry power. We often live down to the labels we pronounce over ourselves and others.

Me too. How easily I attack myself with negative and bad words when I’ve done something stupid. And yes, then I also feel bad.

Let us learn from Jacob. The negative things do not have to determine our future. Let us immediately address them with positive words. Then the hardship will become a blessing, and our descendants will also be a blessing to humanity.

Prayer
Father, help me to face the things chasing me directly and address them in Your name …

Questions
What “names” or labels have I been carrying around for a long time that were born out of pain, but perhaps no longer need to describe my story?
What does it look like practically when, like Jacob, I allow God to change my interpretation of hardship?
How do the words I use about myself and others affect my relationship with God and my way of life?

 Now do this
Notice how you speak about yourself today. Intentionally replace one negative self-label with a word of hope.
Give your burden a new name in prayer. Don’t just call it pain, call it something He will still work on.
Speak life over someone else today. A word of honour, hope, or affirmation can change someone’s entire day, even their future.