Our oldest son is adopted. He’s now twenty-four, but when we first met him, he was a ten-year-old fifth grader sitting in my husband’s classroom.

Like many children who grow up in foster care, he carried with him the invisible weight of past hurts and uncertainty. Sometimes that pain came out in challenging behaviors–-outward expressions of an inner storm.

Now, when he was only a student in my husband’s class, those behaviors were frustrating at times, sure. But they weren’t personal. 

Everything changed the moment he became our son.

When he took our last name suddenly, his choices reflected more than just him. They reflected our family. He carried our name, our reputation, and a piece of who we are. 

There’s something deeply personal about bearing someone’s name. It connects you to their identity.

And that realization opened my eyes to something far bigger.

This same theme runs all throughout Scripture. In the book of Ezekiel, God speaks passionately about how His people were dishonoring His name through their actions. They had turned away from Him, worshiped idols, oppressed the poor, and adopted the ways of the nations around them.

“You have profaned my holy name among the nations to which you came.” — Ezekiel 36:20

“It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations.” — Ezekiel 36:22

God’s frustration wasn’t just about their disobedience; it was about representation. They bore His name as His chosen people, yet their lives told a story that didn’t reflect His character.

And I can’t help but see the parallel to us today.

Bearing the Name of Christ

The word Christian literally means “little Christ.” The term was first used in Acts 11:26, when the early followers of Jesus in Antioch lived so differently that people started calling them that–likely as an insult at first. 

But the followers of Jesus embraced it as an honor. They understood the privilege of being identified with Christ Himself.

We still bear that name today.

When we call ourselves Christians, we are claiming to represent the character, love, and truth of Jesus to the world. But if we’re honest, it’s easy to forget that responsibility in the heat of modern life.

What would Jesus think as He scrolls through some of our social media pages?
How would He feel hearing the way we talk about people who disagree with us politically or spiritually?
How would He respond when our words tear down rather than build up or when we forget the mercy that He has shown us?

“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” — Colossians 3:17

We bear His name. And with that name comes both honor and responsibility.

A Call to Remember Whose Name We Carry

Just like my son carries our family’s name wherever he goes, we carry the name of Christ wherever we go. That includes our homes, our workplaces, our schools, or our online spaces.

When we speak harshly, gossip, judge, or stir up division, we don’t just damage our reputation, we misrepresent His.

But when we extend grace, choose humility, forgive quickly, and love sacrificially, we show the world what God’s heart truly looks like.

Jesus Himself indicated that if His followers would live in such unity and love, the world would know that they belong to Him.

John 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

That’s how powerful His name is when we bear it well.

So before you post, before you respond, before you act…pause and remember whose name you carry.

The world is watching to see what kind of Father we represent.

Til Next Time,

Liz

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