JINA JIPYA!

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
— Genesis 32:28 (NIV)

Names have Power, you do know, right?

Majina hubeba maana. Sometimes they describe us, sometimes they define us—and sometimes they become labels we carry longer than we should.

Jacob understood this deeply. His name meant deceiver—someone who takes what belongs to another. For many years Jacob lived under that shadow. But one night, after a long struggle with God, everything changed. When morning came, God spoke new words over him:

“Your name will no longer be Jacob. From today, you are Israel.”

Israel means Prince with God.

In other words, “Wewe si yule watu walidhani wewe ni. You are more than the label you carried.”

That story reminds me of something from my own life. For years some people used to call me “Kajina Fulani, wache nisiseme hapa.” It was said casually, sometimes jokingly. I laughed with them. Sikujali sana. I accepted it as just another nickname. In fact, I owned it.

But later I realized something important: when you accept a label long enough, it quietly becomes part of how you see yourself.

That was my mistake.

Not every name spoken over you comes from God. Some names come from people who only see one part of your story. Some come from circumstances. Some come from seasons of weakness. Lakini hiyo siyo hadithi yote ya maisha yako.

God saw Jacob beyond his past.
God saw the prince inside the struggler.

And God does the same with us.

Where people see your mistakes, God sees purpose.
Where others remember your failures, God remembers His promise over you.
Where someone tried to reduce you to a nickname or a label, God says, “Hiyo sio jina lako la mwisho.”

The night Jacob wrestled with God, he did not walk away the same man. He walked away with a limp—but also with a new identity.

Sometimes God allows the struggle so that He can change the story.
Kabla ya mapambazuko, kuna mapambano.

Maybe someone has called you something that stayed with you for years. Maybe you even agreed with it. But today God is reminding you:

You are not defined by what people called you.
You are defined by what God calls you.

He calls you forgiven.
He calls you favored.
He calls you chosen.

Na leo Mungu anasema:
“Leave the old label behind. Una jina jipya.”

Walk in it.