What’s in a Name?

I was probably well into my thirties before I could hear someone say, “Brother McBride” and not expect to see my dad nearby. Now I have reached the stage in life where my kids are growing up and leaving the nest, and there are a bunch more “Brother & Sister McBrides” out there in the world.

I hope that is a good thing. (So far, so good!)

The idea of not doing anything to dishonor the family name is long on tradition. No one wants to be that descendent who besmirches the legacy of the family name, or the name of their parents.

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

Now I know that it happens. Sometimes the apple can fall pretty far from a good tree. A scriptural case in point is the story of Alma the Younger. (Mosiah 27) Before he had his epiphany. (And by epiphany, I mean he was knocked silly by an angel, and then decided to repent.)

Up until that point, Alma 2 was considered a “wicked” man. I’m sure his folks did not appreciate that very much. I wonder if Alma ever regretted choosing his own name to give to his son, after seeing what had become of him. I would imagine that Mrs. Alma would have had something to say about it…

“Don’t look at me – I told you it was a not a good idea. But noooo, you just had to name him after yourself. Looks like that idea might have backfired just a little bit. There were plenty of other good names you could have picked. We couldn’t have gone with something less noticeable, like Jacob or Sam?”

Thankfully, Alma the Younger shaped up and eventually did the name proud.

It is a small world, especially if you live in the same place very long. My eldest son moved into a nearby ward, where we already knew a lot of people. Fair or not, some people already have a preconceived notion about who he is, or what he is like, based on their history with me and my EC. Hopefully, it will help more than hinder. As far as what he does, I’m confident that he will do the family name proud.

 

But it does work in both directions: I hope my children honor our family name through their behavior and accomplishments, but I also need to make sure that I live my life that does not sully the name that they will be using, or limit their opportunities.

I am grateful that I never ran into anyone who responded with, “Oh, you are one of thoooose McBrides” when introduced. The response I usually get is, “Oh, I just love your parents.” It would be embarrassing – and possibly limiting – to carry a name that is infamous. Some people are blessed with the arduous task of rehabilitating the family name because a descendent somehow left it mangled and bruised.

There are countless family history examples where people changed their last names in order to get a fresh start, to distance themselves from the past, or to muddy their country of origin. If my kids ever felt compelled to change their name in order to distance themselves from our legacy, I would feel really stupid. And guilty.

More commonly, we focus on what we can do to protect and honor the family name, and it is there that we find the greater religious parallels. When we enter the covenant of baptism, we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, and become “Children of Christ.”

That is something that I don’t think about often enough. When we become take Christ’s name upon us, we don’t literally change our names – that would be weird. But, I have experienced a taste of what that might be like – in the mission field. Having the world “Elder,” and the name of the church – which includes Jesus Christ -emblazoned on a name tag that we wear does serve as a constant reminder of what we are supposed to be about.

It does alter behavior.

When Moroni visited Joseph Smith, one of the very first things he said to him was this:

“He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.” (link)

That is some serious pressure to put on a teenager. I wonder how often those words rang in Joseph’s ears when he was making choices. They either strengthened him, or haunted him. What Moroni prophesied did come to pass, but from my perspective, Joseph’s name will always be associated with goodness and honor.

We all have that same challenge in front of us. Our names will be held in regard, or disregard. Forever. To complicate it, as members of the Church, our names are linked to the Savior’s. We are his children. (Mosiah 5:7)

Elder Dallin Oaks gave a talk in General Conference entitled “Taking Upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ.” He boiled the concept down to three areas where we do this.

1. When we are baptized in his name.
2. When we belong to his church and profess our belief in him.
3. When we do the work of his kingdom.

It isn’t just about us. It is bigger than that.

Later today I will have the opportunity, and the weekly reminder to take his Christ’s name upon me. The sacrament prayer includes this: “that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son,” (D&C 20:77)

That little line in the sacrament prayer that we heard, or will hear later today is a BIG DEAL. We need to always remember him – which can be a difficult task in today’s world. Living up to carrying Christ’s name can add pressure to alter our behavior, but more importantly, it needs to foster a change in us, so that we become more like him.

What will I do with his name this week? Would he be proud of the way I represent him, or might he be a little bit irritated? (Yes, Jesus gets irritated with us sometimes – read your scriptures.)

King Benjamin explained the eternal significance this way:

“There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

 And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.” (Mosiah 5:8-9)

When President George Albert Smith was young, his deceased grandfather George A. Smith appeared to him in a dream and asked, “I would like to know what you have done with my name.” President Smith responded, “I have never done anything with your name of which you need be ashamed.” (link)

What have I done with Christ’s name this week? Have I even thought about it?

Maybe a name tag is not such a bad idea…

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