Many years ago a very good friend of mine was sharing some things about a relative of hers who, because of drinking and drugs, had done some things with some deep consequences. She was furious...furious...Her main expressed thought was that he was ruining the family's good name. That family name was a name well known in the area over many generations.
Today, I think of what perhaps many of us have done over the years to tarnish what we claim we stand for. That could be our family name, it could be an institution where we work or it could be our religious heritage (Christianity, Judaism or others). This week, especially with Christmas, gives me pause as to what is in the name of Jesus Christ. Of course with the phrase "keep Christ in Christmas" it is yet another reminder.
Yes, my friend's relative was living with behaviors that were not becoming to the family name but how many of us use words in a manner unbecoming, or hold resentments that fester and are unbecoming. How do we "stand" for something yet do not actually live in a way that really upholds those beliefs? Yes, what is in a name?
