Why choose a name like Speak Excellent Things? When considering what to name our website and community, I had only one idea. It’s a concept, a belief, a feeling I’d been mulling over for several years, and I really believe it fits. It provides us with an image of a woman eminently worthy of emulation, and a pretty decent articulation of feminine purpose. it comes from the book of Proverbs (yes, that book of Proverbs), specifically chapter eight.
Proverbial Inspiration
Until just a few years ago, I wasn’t really very familiar with the eighth chapter of Proverbs. Okay, the entire book of Proverbs. I mean, the extent of my knowledge consisted of the “who can find a virtuous woman” part in the last chapter— which usually made my eyes roll—and a few pithy phrases about being wise. Then I stumbled across an article urging Latter-day Saints to read Proverbs 8 with our Heavenly Mother in mind. (It was written by a man, oddly enough). I did, and was blown away. (Try it!) How had I not recognized this before? I’ve lost track of the article (note to self: always bookmark cool stuff), but the impact remains. A little research reveals that many scholars see quite a bit of evidence of the divine feminine in Proverbs—especially chapter eight.
What struck me the most about Proverbs 8 was the fact that wisdom is portrayed as a woman—one who was with God before the beginning, who cares for the fate of God’s children (whom she also calls children—see 8:32), and is actively involved in persuading them to choose God’s pathway. She fearlessly goes out among the people, crying repentance and urging women and men to listen to the “excellent” and “right” things she will speak.
Other translations render those things as: “noble,” “great,” “important,” “truth”—you get the picture. I love the image of a woman called Wisdom (or Sophia, in Greek) in “the places of the paths” or “at the gates” (8:2–3), unapologetically expounding truth and exhorting the people to follow the way of wisdom—which ultimately leads to God. With echoes of the very Latter-day Saint doctrine of a Mother in Heaven, the Proverbial picture of Wisdom as an integral part of the creation and of shepherding humankind back toward its heavenly home seemed particularly apropos.
I’m also very taken with this self-description delivered in Sophia’s voice: “I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions” (8:12). Other Bible translations use “common sense” or “good judgment” for prudence, and “discernment” or “careful thinking” for witty inventions. (Doesn’t the term “witty inventions” just capture your imagination?! I was a little disappointed that it is translated as discernment or discretion in other versions. I’d interpreted “find out knowledge of witty inventions” as searching for the clever, the beneficial, the entertaining, the most inspiring works of God and man. I’m not sure I want to give that definition up, to be honest! Although, I guess possessing knowledge and discernment is a good thing, too.)
Our Purpose
Witty inventions aside, Proverbs 8 reflected pretty much all things we wanted to focus on in our online community:
- The divinity within each of us, and the divine light available to us.
- The crucial role of women in recognizing and sharing truth.
- The power of covenantal wisdom—and, well, the power of covenants in general.
- How to nurture our inherent strength, resilience, and creativity.
- The good things that surround us, and the joy available to us.
The original name of the website was (and come to think of it, still is officially) “I Will Speak of Excellent Things,” the phrase Sophia/Wisdom speaks to the passersby as she calls upon them to listen to her. We dropped the “I will” and the “of” to make it slightly less clunky. I know, it’s still kind of a mouthful. But I like it. It reminds us of our purpose: to pursue the excellent things found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in the wider world—and to strengthen the “children” around us by sharing them.
And that, in a nutshell, is the story of how we got our name. While I am the one mainly responsible for the name choice, I think all of us here at SET hope the name will become a reminder to the community as a whole that we are meant to be seekers and speakers of Excellent Things. That we have a divine heritage to look to, and that Christ has made possible all good things.
Your thoughts?
What do you think of our name?
Have you ever had difficulty naming something?
What kind of excellent things would you like to see here at SET?
The name is just right!