Name-Dropping
My eldest nephew currently works as a recruiter for a nonprofit agency which helps under-privileged children. Though it would be difficult to support himself in this job for the long term, he is perfectly content and I’m proud of him for it.
What do you think of my nephew? Good kid, right? And how does my description of him make me look? In spite of my many shortcomings, it might shed a more positive light on me because I spent time praising someone else’s good attributes. Why don’t we make more of a conscious effort to talk about the good people around us? It seems that we frequently mention or speak highly of people because of their popularity more than because of their conduct. How often do we drop a name for a more positive purpose?
The first of Jesus’ recorded miracles was in John 2, verses 1-11. He, as well as his mother and the disciples, had been invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee. In this familiar text, Jesus changes large jars of water into wine. I recently read a comment on this scripture saying that Jesus possibly attended this wedding because the hosts wanted the other guests to see that he and his disciples were a part of their lives.
Jesus may have been invited to that wedding to be a physical representation of the wedding family’s ideals. If your acquaintances were to describe your virtues based on others you seem to admire, how would you fare? I wonder about myself and now feel a need to look back through my Facebook history. From the books we are seen reading in waiting rooms to the bumper stickers on our cars, we are showing others who we might be. Add to that the way we act when trying to impress someone.
Without the physical, tangible Christ to invite to our homes, we need other ways to reveal our personal association with Him. An additional—and sometimes more effective—way to draw others to God is to tell others about the great people in our lives. In doing something this, I feel inner peace and see the meaningful relationships in my life. I hope that you are blessed in the same way.
My eldest nephew currently works as a recruiter for a nonprofit agency which helps under-privileged children. Though it would be difficult to support himself in this job for the long term, he is perfectly content and I’m proud of him for it.
What do you think of my nephew? Good kid, right? And how does my description of him make me look? In spite of my many shortcomings, it might shed a more positive light on me because I spent time praising someone else’s good attributes. Why don’t we make more of a conscious effort to talk about the good people around us? It seems that we frequently mention or speak highly of people because of their popularity more than because of their conduct. How often do we drop a name for a more positive purpose?
The first of Jesus’ recorded miracles was in John 2, verses 1-11. He, as well as his mother and the disciples, had been invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee. In this familiar text, Jesus changes large jars of water into wine. I recently read a comment on this scripture saying that Jesus possibly attended this wedding because the hosts wanted the other guests to see that he and his disciples were a part of their lives.
Jesus may have been invited to that wedding to be a physical representation of the wedding family’s ideals. If your acquaintances were to describe your virtues based on others you seem to admire, how would you fare? I wonder about myself and now feel a need to look back through my Facebook history. From the books we are seen reading in waiting rooms to the bumper stickers on our cars, we are showing others who we might be. Add to that the way we act when trying to impress someone.
Without the physical, tangible Christ to invite to our homes, we need other ways to reveal our personal association with Him. An additional—and sometimes more effective—way to draw others to God is to tell others about the great people in our lives. In doing something this, I feel inner peace and see the meaningful relationships in my life. I hope that you are blessed in the same way.
Natalie Wray
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