Turning the Hearts . . .What's in a Name?

by Gary E. Antion

Last issue we covered the importance of learning to share with our families. In this issue, I'd like to explore the importance of our names!

When you were born, your folks likely had a name picked out for you. My mother longed for a daughter and had the name "Marlene" picked out, but my brother Dave, her firstborn, wouldn't have liked to be called "Marlene." When she learned she was pregnant again, she still longed for a daughter and had the name "Doreen" picked out for me. When she discovered I was a boy, I was named Gary.

While we all have our own stories about how we received our first names, it is our last names that really matter the most. What kind of reputation does your last name have? One family called the "Dupes" (fictitious name to protect the real family) had a reputation for laziness, criminal activity and poverty. To have a handle like that, with the reputation that came with it, must have been difficult to surmount. Another family, the Edmonds (also fictitious), had a reputation for community service and honesty. A child with the "Edmonds" name would have an edge in life.

What do we do with our names? Do we bring honor to the name and give those who follow an edge? Or do we degrade it and pass it on to others who then have to cope with it? I knew a family in which the eldest son made good grades and was involved in athletics and student council. The succeeding children also made good grades and were involved in sports and in student service at the same school. Teachers expected each child from that family to follow in the footsteps of the previous family member.

That is why we read in Ecclesiastes 7:1, "A good name is better than precious ointment." Your family has given you not only your first name, but your last name. It is up to all of us to enhance our family names by the good character we can attach to them and to help our siblings and children have a better chance of succeeding in life. If your name was not honored by a parent or sibling, then determine yourself to bring honor to it. Then, you will pass on a good name to your children. UN