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Source --- indystar.com: What does it mean to wear the name Christian? 4/02/07 By Lori Borgman
I have always felt a tad sorry for children named Christian.
Don't get me wrong: Christian is a wonderful name. It just seems like it could add extra pressure to everyday life.
Whenever we would have a mess of kids playing in the backyard, voices would often drift in through the kitchen window and I'd hear things like "Don't hit, Christian!" or "Stop that, Christian."
If it had been a Bill or a Bob the kids were yelling at to stop throwing sand, it wouldn't have registered in my consciousness. But there was an amusing irony in hearing a voice holler, "Knock it off, Christian!"
At times, I wondered if it wasn't the voice of God calling to me.
I have also wondered if having the name Christian would make you more tempted to smoke cigarettes at 16, thus distancing yourself from the rules and restrictions implied by the name, or more resolute not to smoke at 16 because of a deep respect for the name you wore.
But why should I wonder about such things? Christian is my name, too.
Christian is not the name on my birth certificate, my Social Security card or my driver's license. It is my name by the virtue of a gift of God.
Through the time and space of Holy Week, the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the betrayal, the scene in the garden, the mock trial, the agony of Good Friday and the miracle of Resurrection Sunday, I, like 2 billion others on this planet, go by the name Christian.
The names we call ourselves and the names we call one another are important. They define who we are. So what does it mean to wear the name Christian?
At the core, it means seeing every dimension of life, things done at home, at work, in public and in private, with an eternal perspective. From that perspective comes meaning, purpose and direction.
Once you wear the name Christian, nothing is ever wasted, not a single teardrop, not a lonely moment, or an ounce of suffering and pain.
Wearing the name Christian means recognizing what it means to be redeemed by a sacrifice -- and sacrificing in return. It means releasing our closed-fist grip on life and holding all that we have with an open hand -- our calendars, our checkbooks, our talents and abilities, our homes, our material possessions and the people we love.
Wearing the name Christian also means growing a heart bent toward the less fortunate, serving as salt and light, preserving the good, giving flavor and zest to every dimension of life.
At times, the name also means being an oddball -- praying for your enemies, being last in order to be first, giving second, third and fourth chances, and swallowing hard and saying, "Forgive me."
Wearing the name Christian means treating all people with dignity, seeing with blinders in a sense, leveling the playing field between the strange ones, the smelly ones, the pretty ones and the powerful ones.
For those of us who wear the name by choice, Easter is a good time to ask how that name has made a difference. In pollster terms: a little, a lot or absolutely none.
The last response would be the most tragic of all.
I have always felt a tad sorry for children named Christian.
Don't get me wrong: Christian is a wonderful name. It just seems like it could add extra pressure to everyday life.
Whenever we would have a mess of kids playing in the backyard, voices would often drift in through the kitchen window and I'd hear things like "Don't hit, Christian!" or "Stop that, Christian."
If it had been a Bill or a Bob the kids were yelling at to stop throwing sand, it wouldn't have registered in my consciousness. But there was an amusing irony in hearing a voice holler, "Knock it off, Christian!"
At times, I wondered if it wasn't the voice of God calling to me.
I have also wondered if having the name Christian would make you more tempted to smoke cigarettes at 16, thus distancing yourself from the rules and restrictions implied by the name, or more resolute not to smoke at 16 because of a deep respect for the name you wore.
But why should I wonder about such things? Christian is my name, too.
Christian is not the name on my birth certificate, my Social Security card or my driver's license. It is my name by the virtue of a gift of God.
Through the time and space of Holy Week, the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the betrayal, the scene in the garden, the mock trial, the agony of Good Friday and the miracle of Resurrection Sunday, I, like 2 billion others on this planet, go by the name Christian.
The names we call ourselves and the names we call one another are important. They define who we are. So what does it mean to wear the name Christian?
At the core, it means seeing every dimension of life, things done at home, at work, in public and in private, with an eternal perspective. From that perspective comes meaning, purpose and direction.
Once you wear the name Christian, nothing is ever wasted, not a single teardrop, not a lonely moment, or an ounce of suffering and pain.
Wearing the name Christian means recognizing what it means to be redeemed by a sacrifice -- and sacrificing in return. It means releasing our closed-fist grip on life and holding all that we have with an open hand -- our calendars, our checkbooks, our talents and abilities, our homes, our material possessions and the people we love.
Wearing the name Christian also means growing a heart bent toward the less fortunate, serving as salt and light, preserving the good, giving flavor and zest to every dimension of life.
At times, the name also means being an oddball -- praying for your enemies, being last in order to be first, giving second, third and fourth chances, and swallowing hard and saying, "Forgive me."
Wearing the name Christian means treating all people with dignity, seeing with blinders in a sense, leveling the playing field between the strange ones, the smelly ones, the pretty ones and the powerful ones.
For those of us who wear the name by choice, Easter is a good time to ask how that name has made a difference. In pollster terms: a little, a lot or absolutely none.
The last response would be the most tragic of all.
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