What's in a name?

By Larnette Phillips

Most people don't think much about names but a name tells everyone who you are.  Do you answer when someone calls your name?  My guess is that you do.  But names are really more than that...

Haven't we all heard that adage as a child:  "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me..."

Your name represents who you are and it also represents what you stand for.  Everything you do reflects either for, or against, your name.

When you give your word, your name is behind it.  Your name is murky when you don't keep your word.

Your character identifies with your name so what you really do when no one else is looking, does matter.

If you break a promise, it reflects upon your name. 

People know you by your name.  Have you ever had a bad business deal and every time you hear that business name, you quickly say, "I wouldn't do business with them, they...." The same is true of you, whether you have a business or not.  You are identified by the things you represent.  Honesty, integrity, or lack thereof - they all go hand in hand with your name.

Every time you use a name to identify someone else, think about what you are doing.  When an individual tells another that he or she is stupid, they have not only given that person a label, they have given them a name.  People often live up, or down, to the name they are given.

If you want someone to change, identify them with new names.  Instead of being prompted to call someone an idiot or stupid, why not try telling them something good about themselves and put a new name and a new face on who they are?

Always remember to keep your name clean, it's your name that carries its legacy.  I once heard a preacher talk about his father, who was a farmer. He said that his father always paid everyone he owed first, before he paid himself when his crops came in.  He was quick to say that because his father lived this way, he prospered greatly.  His father's name mattered to him.

A man can ruin everything he has by the way he uses his name - and what it carries behind it.

Does your name matter to you?  When was the last time you honored what you said you would do?  When was the last time you kept your word and honored a promise?  When was the last time you paid a debt - on paper or not - to someone on time?  When was the last time you gave someone a good name by encouraging them with a "new name"? 

When was the last time you took a look at your honesty and integrity to see if it's in line? 

What do you want your name to say about you when all is said and done?  How will people remember your name when it is spoken somewhere, sometime? 

You were given a name by your parents. But you were also given a name by God because He identified you as His child...I have often been told that I am the daughter of a king because of who I am in God...because I know my name when He calls, I know who it is that I represent.  How does your name represent who you truly are?  It reflects on you, but it reflects on your parents and it reflects on everyone who is in your world. 

Begin today to live up to your name and if you haven't been living up to your name, back up and start all over again.  Clear the slate; make a new day - a new beginning and a new name.  Let people say of you: "Now there goes a man of integrity. He keeps his word; he speaks the truth; he pays what he owes and he forgives those around him, whether they deserve it or not..."

What is your name?  Who are you and what does it say about you?