It is a conversation I had with my son-in-law while he was pursuing my daughter and expressing his interest in marrying her. It is a conversation I will need to have with a second son-in-law if the day comes when he expresses his interest in marrying my other daughter. It is a conversation about the family name.
The conversation goes something like this: I believe that our family name has come to mean something. We have worked hard within the church and the local community to make the Challies name stand for something. It has a reputation. And by God’s grace, I think it is a good reputation, a reputation for faith and love and integrity. Our neighbors and fellow church members know the name and know what it entails. And by becoming part of this family, you gain the ability to enhance or diminish that reputation. I want you to take that seriously.
The fact is, a good family name is both a blessing and a responsibility. It is something that is entrusted to us. Those who take on the name or otherwise become closely associated with it, gain the duty of protecting and enhancing it. Far be it from any of us to bring reproach upon that name and embarrassment to those who bear it. “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,” says Solomon. It is more precious than money because it cannot be purchased with money. It can only be earned—earned by long commitment. And what is earned by a long and earnest commitment can be destroyed by a single careless word or thoughtless moment.
What is earned by a long and earnest commitment can be destroyed by a single careless word or thoughtless moment.
When we become Christians, we gain the distinct honor of taking on the name of Christ. We become Christians, Christ-followers, Jesus people. He graciously and unashamedly grants us the family name so that wherever we go, the name goes with us. And so does the sacred responsibility of honoring the name by living lives that are worthy of it.
“Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ,” Paul exhorts, and “Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” When we act in ways that imitate Christ and are consistent with his commands, we guard his name and protect his reputation. But when we act in ways that are unworthy of Christ and inconsistent with his commands, we dishonor his name and tarnish his reputation. The choice is before us every moment of every day, in tests and trials, in decisions and opportunities, in public and private. The choice is before us in this moment and every moment.
A good family name is a blessing and we do well to be faithful stewards of it. How much more when that name is associated with Christ himself and when the reputation is not just good but perfect and not just temporal but eternal? How much more when the name we bear is the name that is above every other name? How much more when the name is the very best name of all?
