3 minute read
“Karina”
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by Wayne Williams
What do you think of when you hear the word “karina?” (pronounced kah-reen-nah; like Katrina, without the “t”). The word, which in some family circles has now become a name, has a quite interesting etymological origin. According to the Unify Cosmos website, the spiritual meaning of the name Karina is of Old English origin. Karina means “pure,” “the pure one,” “innocent,” and “beloved.” Additionally, the word (name) can be short for Katarina or Katrina. Likewise, it is a variant of the name Carina, which is derived from the Latin word “carus,” meaning “love.”
The expression of “love” is as old as time itself, especially when we read that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). Because God precedes and certainly will exceed the concept of time, the idea of love predates and will outlast anything this world has to offer. And by our love for one another, the world will know that we are born again of God’s spirit and associated unequivocally with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the epitome of love. Many of you recall the contemporary version of the song, “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love,” popularized by the musical group Jars of Clay.
Karina, a variant of the Latin “carus,” has been romanticized in a number of ways through movies, books, and certainly music. There are some who may remember the song “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” which was an Academy Award winner for Best Original Score in 1955. The movie titles are endless, “What’s Love Got to do With It,” (also a song title), “From Russia with Love,” (a James Bond series favorite), “Love at First Bite,” (for comedy/horror ‘lovers’), “Love and Basketball,” (if you are a sports enthusiast), as well as “A Thin Line Between Love and Hate” (which, in my opinion, is really not a thin line at all)! Likewise, books, many of which do not contain the word “love” in their titles. Namely, “Hidden Struggles: Purity, God, Guys and Life,” (Hamilton); “The Dating Manifesto: A Drama-Free Plan for Pursuing Marriage with Purpose,” (Anderson); and of course, the classic, “The Five Love Languages” (Gary Chapman)! Poems? Well, that’s another category of titles that time nor space will permit me to elaborate.
In conclusion, the Bible exhorts us in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace,
whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]” (Amplified).
Friend, our love for each other is only surpassed by God’s love for each and all of us. That being said, “Let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1). Or in the Contemporary English Bible, “Keep loving each other like family.” So, “think” about that the next time you say or hear, “Karina!”
About The Author
Wayne & Lita Williams are residents of Athens, Tennessee. She is a retiring social worker. He presently serves as a local supply pastor. Together, they have been in pastoral and outreach ministry for over 40 years.
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