Jun 17, 2008

Outlaws

I have a relative whom I have never met that robbed a bank recently...no kidding. Oddly, I want to fly out to meet him and discover his story. His mother has died and no one is really able to be there with him. He is near my age and I feel for him in a way.

I find myself curious to have a relative who has robbed a bank, but I am also angry. This relative is from my father's side of the family and carries the Dingmore name. I get angry that in at least one town he has tarnished my last name. I feel that he had a responsibility to wear our family name well, but he chose not to. That, honestly, make me mad.

This whole strange event has caused me to ask myself, "How am I wearing my God's name?" As a Christ follower I wear the name of Christ in a public way, and though I am not perfect I still have the responsibility of wearing it well. I now realize that the questions that I should ask myself before acting or speaking are, "How does what I am about to do reflect on His name? Is this the behavior of someone who is wearing the name of Christ well?" I bet if I ask these questions often I would have parts of my lifestyle radically changed...how about you?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That, on the surface, seems like a loaded question. But it is actually so simple. I realized a few months ago that I was not leading the life that I should. And because of my lax attitude regarding my savior, my life was not going to go as it should. I think the hardest thing about answering this question is dealing with the private as well as the public. The toughest thing for me is giving up those things that I've enjoyed for many years that do not align with what God is pulling me to do.
In otherwords, answering this question, for me at least, involves much more than just the public view (which definitely needs work).

Anonymous said...

Jerry, Great post! Thanks for the challenge to live like Christ.

Unknown said...

"What's in a name?" - WS