I've never thought of "re-naming" myself.  Now that I think about it, I've always accepted my name as one of those unchangable things that God made me to be:  male, a preacher's kid, the third and last born of the family, etc.  I've not particularly liked or disliked my name.  My parents must have tried it out in it's full form or they would have noticed that the first name ends in "L" and the last name begins in "L" making it difficult to say clearly without the middle name or initial.  Sometimes when I use my middle initial computers think I'm "Paula."  

My almost-10-year-old wants to go from being called "Tommy" to "Tom" or "Thomas."  That's different: his real name is Thomas so he's actually moving closer to his given name, not further away.  We gave all of our kids official-sounding names and then shortened them for childhood.  We thought about variations they might try out over the years so that whether they want to be official-sounding or familiar-sounding they'll have options.

I was named at birth by my parents and that's the name by which I was Baptized 11 days later.  I fully believe that "Paul Anthony Lauer" is written in the "Book of Life."  I believe it is the name of which God said, "I have called you by name and you are mine."  Why would I want to change that?  Oh, I know that God's able to keep track of us easily enough, so I don't think it's a problem for those who do change their names.  After all, what happens when women change their last name?  I merely point out that for me it was never an issue.

There are many reasons why people change their name.  Some of them are quite legitimate, I think.  But for most I wonder whether going by nicknames in adulthood or failing to ever use their given name so that friends don't even know it exists or becoming upset when someone makes the grave error of using your full given name is an issue of power.  Why, after all, do you suppose our parents used our full given name when we were in trouble?  It's because they are calling upon their authority to name us as support for their authority to direct us.  Authority.  Power.  Naming someone (or calling people names) is an assertion of authority over them.

The demons tried this with Jesus.  They cried out "Jesus of Nazareth:  I know who you are.  You are the Holy One of God!"  Those things were certainly true.  It was in their "naming Jesus" that they were attempting to address Him as at least equals.  Jesus turned the tables on them.  He said, "What is your name?" possibly reminded them of Who they were talking to -- He was with the Father when the angels/demons were created and He named them.  The demon resisted Jesus' authority, not giving their names but skirting the question by saying, "Our name is Legion, for we are many."  In so doing, they attempted to assert the power of numbers since the naming-power didn't work. 

Notice how God named Adam.  What is the significance of Adam naming Eve - remember, this was even before the Fall into sin."  The Bible makes a big deal about fathers naming their children.  God changed Abraham's name after his conversion and the same with Paul and Peter.  When we accept the authority of someone else to name us or assert the authority to name ourselves, it is primarily a power issue. 

A very large part of who I am comes from my search to discover who God made me to be.  I'm very interested in see what I'll be like in heaven when I can be the person God intended me to be.  For now, I struggle in many ways with finding this out.  Who has the authority to tell me who to be?  God does, of course.  And we know God by His Son, Jesus.  His Spirit also informs us by His Word through the prophets and apostles.  And in His Word God states that He has placed us all under certain authorities.  Finally, God's Spirit speaks to us when men and women inform us or remind us of what God has already said. 

Someday, in the presence of God, I will be the person that God has made me to be.  We have some information about who we will be in heaven by who we are now.  We have more information from God's Word (the Bible, of course) by His statements which will apply to us all.  I find contentment in life (Plato's "Good" or Jefferson's "Happiness") by seeking and living as God has already made me and told me.

As a bit of an aside, I wonder how people reconcile their belief that "God made me this way so it must be okay" to what God has also revealed in His Word.  I am, by nature, a controlling jerk.  By nature, I would be the middle manager that nobody wants to work for.  But God's Word tells me that we are to live by love, joy, peace, gentleness, patience, self control, etc.  Therefore, I must conclude that my assertiveness (to put it nicely) becomes sinful when it is not characterized by those fruits of the Spirit.  I can say that I am, by nature, one way while God's Word tells me that I can take that too far.  Consequently, I need to examine myself.  What is in my nature that is consistent with God's written revelation?  What is in my nature that is not consistent with God's revelation?  I have concluded that organizational abilities, critical thinking, project management, leadership, persuasiveness, and so on are good gifts from God while manipulation (if you know me and think I'm manipulative, know that I could be doing much, much worse so be glad I've gotten it at least this much under control), threats, anger, and so on (please don't ask me to list all my faults; I know them only too well) are from my sinful nature and not from God.  So saying "It's my nature" or "God made me this way" isn't always good.  I/We believe that we were born in sin and that in sin did my mother conceive me.  In other words, I/we have been stained by the sinful, broken, rebellious, dying world into which I was conceived and born.  So not everything about me is of God.  That's an aside.

So the question in this post has been:  "Who has God made me to be?"  He has an intention for me.  He built into creation a process of growing in maturity on a number of levels (intellectual, social, emotional, biological, etc.).  I am seeking to mature into being the man of God that He has intended for me to be.  I struggle with this as most people still maturing do.  I have not yet arrived at that point.  When I think of saying "When I grow up I want to be..." I'm thinking of who I will be in the Kingdom of Heaven.  You and I both know that I'm not there yet, so I must not yet be fully matured.  Until then, I'm struggling.  I expect that you are too.  

So for me, changing one's God-given-name seems to be a detour from this in an assertion of one to define himself rather than to seek God's definition.  I don't get it.  I am Paul Anthony Lauer and my name has been written by Christ in the Book of Life.  This much I already know and I move on from there.