Last night I went to the Cycles for Christ Thanksgiving Dinner where many motorcycle clubs/gangs were represented. I ate dinner with The Hells Angels, The Brotherhood, Hostile Hordes, The Bastards, and several Christian motorcycle organizations. I was intrigued by the names on their leather vests, names such as Zonk, Ghost, Ratchet and Slider. One young man was labeled “Prospect” because he was waiting to become a full-fledged member. These men cherish their nicknames, or road names, which are usually given after some kind of inciting incident happened defining who they are as club members. Their patches, street names and club insignias are also representative of who they are as club/gang members and they wear them with pride as well. Last night’s experience had me thinking about our given names, but also the reputation we try to uphold when it comes to our names. In other words, we don’t want our names tarnished by our deeds.
I put great thought into naming my children. I wanted them to be a genuine representation of the names they were given. Melinda means “gentle.” Her middle name “Grace” was given as they were wheeling me back to my room after her delivery. I knew it was by God’s grace that I had her at seventeen, especially since it was without much difficulty. Bethany means “House of God.” I had wandered far from God before I conceived her. I also did not believe I would have any children after Melinda. It had been nine years with two miscarriages. When I became pregnant with her, I knew she was God’s gift, and knowing she was growing inside me brought me back to God. Brandon means “Beacon Light.” He has lived out his name over and over again with the adversity he has faced, so much so that one of his close friends wrote his college essay about how Brandon had been an inspiration to him in his life. Finally, Geoffrey means “Reconciliation.” My husband chose his name late one night. I knew his name was God given. Geoffrey’s presence became a restoration of all the promises of God, especially to never leave me nor forsake me and to give me a hope and a future.
Like the motorcycle club/gang members value their earned names, we often hold fast to our reputations as well. I am a people pleaser. I admit it. But I haven’t always been that way. I used to let things roll off my shoulders, and I didn’t care what people thought of me. I lived my life as an open book. I didn’t try and hide my sin. It was out in the open for everyone to see. God didn’t shout it from the rooftops. I did. Why? I didn’t want to be a hypocrite. I didn’t want to act one way in church and live completely opposite out in the marketplace or in my home. It took a long time for me to care about my reputation, my name.
So now I am a people pleaser. I do too much because I don’t want anyone’s anger rising up against me. I don’t know how to say “no” when I have so much on my plate already. I keep silent so as to not rustle any feathers. “Peace at any price,” at times, is my motto. I am thinking about going back to the way I was before, but not in the area of sin. I want to be a rebel with a cause. I want my name to represent someone who was not afraid to do what was right even it was not a conventional approach. I want to shake up the world.
But what concerns me is the man who cares more about his name than any other relationship or ministry in his life. It reminds me of John Proctor’s words when he was about to be hanged for being involved in witchcraft, and his name was going to be nailed to the door of the church. He begged them not to do it. He cried, “Because it is my name. Because I cannot have another in my life…How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name.” Doesn’t that say it all for some people today? They care more about their reputation than anything else. Even though they walk in sin, they don’t care about the relationships they are destroying. No, they care about their name. It is the single most important thing in their life. I say care about your walk with God. He is the one who gave you breath and the reason you have a name. He gave you a ministry and a family. He surrounded you with people who care about you and look up to you. Your reputation will be built when you put God first in your life, your loved ones next, and everything else last.
One thing I can say about the motorcycle club/gang members who were at the dinner last night is yes, they care about their name. But they also care about the people within their circle of influence. When my ex-husband was in a serious motorcycle accident, his club members paid for Melinda to come and see him. They paid for the owner’s fence to be replaced that he went through because of a pothole in the road. They put on dinners for ALL motorcycle groups regardless of their reputation. They live up to their names.
The bottom line is: do not hide behind a reputation that means very little if you do not live a life of integrity. God knows each of our names and they will be called before the judgment seat of God one day. Let your name count for righteousness.
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