The Power of a Name

So, as I mentioned earlier, my mother calling our pet parrot by her name, as opposed to "The Bird", which had lately been in prominent use in our household, really made me reconsider her treatment since DS made his appearance nearly a year ago. Oh sure, she was getting her physical needs met, and we even held her occasionally, but watching her soak up my mom's attention and love really made me feel guilty about how often I shoved my little friend's emotional needs aside. Hearing my mom repeatedly using my parrot's name reminded me that she is a living creature and (to us) a little person with her own feelings. So now I am trying to create a new habit, where our little feathered friend comes to sit with us after the kids are in bed, so she can get her share of love, too.

I've been reminded of the power of names recently in other ways. My brother wearing his doofus "Jesus I'm Drunk" t-shirt on the day he arrived, and my dad's offended reaction, reminded me of a discussion I was in recently where we were talking about how often Jesus' name or God's name is blasphemed. "Blasphemed": a very old word, and one that we tend to mock...but we forget that one of the Ten Commandments is not to blaspheme the LORD's name! This is serious business.

One of the things we were talking about with our friends was how evocative a name is. Mother Teresa. Martin Luther King, Jr. Gandhi. All powerful names, that evoke powerful feelings. Ask the Pakistani people about Benazir Bhutto. For those who aren't Christians, the name, Jesus Christ, doesn't really evoke those kinds of feelings. And honestly, how many Christians really are reminded of the awesome, incredible God who came to earth when they hear the name, "Jesus Christ"? Let's be honest with ourselves--we have allowed his name to be watered down in meaning for those who follow Him, too. I am just as guilty of any in saying, "G--d---it!" or "J---- C-----!" when I'm annoyed by something. I've only just appreciated how serious and wrong it is to do that recently, and I'm catching myself and breaking that very bad habit.

I have run across a few instances lately of people being offended by others who use God's name in vain. My father being offended by my brother's t-shirt, a poster on an internet board describing how she was asked by her sister to not use God's name in vain around her. To those who don't follow Christ, I understand how it could be irritating to be asked not to do that. But let me ask you--would you be offended if, when someone was upset or angry, they shouted, "Martin Luther King!" in a very exasperated voice? Or they said, "MOTHER TERESA!" in the same way? Or "Muhammed!!" as an expression of disgust? Insert your own personal hero(es). Pretty offensive, isn't it? So is it really a lot for someone who holds a person in reverence to ask you not to swear by that name? Because for all the abstract talk about Christianity, Jesus Christ is a real person, and Christians claim to know Him personally. Regardless of your own personal opinion about whether that is true or not, I don't think it's too much to ask for a modicum of respect. That's tolerance, right?