Oluwatito

Oluwatito simply means ‘God is enough’. It’s my name, and it’s meaning haunts and liberates me. Let me explain. I’m from Nigeria and I’m part of the Yorùbá people – Yorùbá is the collective language we speak (well I attempt to speak…). In the Yorùbá tradition, names are very powerful. The names we are given have an impact on our lives. No one bares a name without a reason or explanation. Our names are our stories – past, present and future, they are the blessings and hopes of our parents, our aspirations and simply put, our legacies. There’s a Yoruba proverb that says

“Orúko ìso omo nií mó omo lára”
– ‘A child gets used to behaving like his/her name’

I love my name, its unique, powerful, and it’s mine!….However the meaning always makes me stop and think.

“Is God enough for me?”

In theory yes! I know this to be true. God has proven himself time and time again in my life but my actions don’t reflect the statement. I’m no where close to the model christian (what does that even look like?). I feel as though my 20s thus far can be likened to breaking down existing ideals or constructs in order to examine my foundation of truths. *sigh*

Some truths were trash, others sacred, others outdated and few hand-me-downs I never should have accepted.
2 scared truths I do believe to be true are:

1. God is real
2. Words carry power

Yes, words carry power, but I believe the power is derived from the understanding of the word. Going back to what I previously mentioned, Yorùbá names are always have a meaning and that meaning is normally understood by the parents and passed down to the child. I understand my name, I agree with my name and I want it to be true in my life but I’m not sure I live out the meaning of my name.

Why isn’t God enough of you?

What does enough look like?

Is my name too big for me?

Is this a big deal? Am I putting too much pressure on myself to live up the the expectations of the name bestowed upon me? or is this an invitation for deeper meditations.

I’m open to the journey…

Interested to know your thoughts 🙂