Matthew

Photo of Matthew Graves

Gift of God

by Matthew Graves

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that the name Matthew has been hailed by some major celebrities- Matthew McConaughey, Matt Damon, Matthew Stafford, Matthew Perry. But I was just named after my dad. Growing up, I learned from my parents that Matthew meant “Gift of God”, and had deep roots in our religious beliefs. According to Ancestry.com, the name Matthew comes from the Hebrew word Matityahu.

In the Bible, Matthew is one of Jesus’ disciples, and turned from his sinful past to make a new life for himself by following Jesus. In my life, I’ve always tried to reflect Matthew’s actions as well as live up to the meaning of my name. Even though I’m human and will make mistakes, I always try to fulfill the meaning of the name “Gift of God” through the actions I exhibit. One of my biggest mottos in life has been being kind- and the craziest part is I feel like it’s often overlooked. Sometimes, people don’t take a step back and realize what they might be doing in the moment isn’t something that’s a reflection of themselves. It’s simple reminders like that that I try to talk to people about to spread what my name is all about.

My name has also helped me when I’ve struggled with seeing a path for my life. During those times, I seek out the meaning of my name as a reminder of my purpose. A great example of this came during my sophomore year of high school. I was sitting in my room struggling with finding direction for myself and my life. I pulled out my Bible and just started reading from the book of Matthew, when I came across this verse: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). Something about reading that verse in the moment just calmed me- it reminded me of my name, and reminded me that my life was full of meaning and purpose. Even in the hard moments, I found peace in both my name and the faith that came with it- my path might not have been clear at the time, but everything worked out in the end.

I would say that I’m glad that I have my name. It’s helping to shape me into the man I aspire to be one day. Being a Gift of God is something I strive for every day. And while sharing the name with some celebrities is cool, I'm most thankful that my parents chose a name that was so meaningful to our family and beliefs.

Works Cited

“The meaning of the first name Matthew.” Ancestry. ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/matthew#:~:text=The%20name%20Matthew%20can%20be,meaning%20gift%20and%20God%20respectively. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

“Matthew 11.” YouVersion, The Digital Ministry of Life.Church bible.com/bible/111/MAT.11.NIV. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

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