What’s in a Name?

A few weeks ago, some out-of-state relatives stopped by to visit our family. Naturally, this called for a meal, which, in our family, means at least one meat, four vegetables, three desserts, and some biscuits. Also, naturally, the conversation rambled around both the past and the present. There’s nothing like a big group of family getting together to bring out some of the best stories. My cousin asked my grandfather, “Didn’t you tell me once you picked out your own name?”

Well, that’s not exactly how it happened. You can’t be one of ten children and have no name. You have to have some sort of name just so you know when you’re in trouble, at the very least. What my grandfather didn’t have was a middle name. When it came time to register for Social Security, he had to have a middle name, so he chose one: Vernon.

I asked him why he chose that name, but he didn’t remember. My father said he thought it was a pretty uncommon name. Papa disagreed; he said he knew plenty of people named Vernon when he was growing up. I suppose that’s the reason why he really picked that name – it was familiar, and might have been considered a “good name” because of the men who were named Vernon and their good reputations.

When I think about names, I’m reminded that most of us also go by the name “Christian.” It, too, is a name we choose to take. In the 24th chapter of Joshua, Joshua issues a challenge to the Israelites to choose whom they should serve. The Israelites choose God. They must have been as excited as we were on the day when we chose God and were baptized. However, since the Old Testament was written for our learning (Romans 15:4), we know what happened to the Israelites…in the very next book, as a matter of fact…they forgot their pact.

As Christians, we can’t just keep the name when it suits us. We’ve made a commitment both to God and to ourselves. What will be in our next chapter? Will we do our name proud?