We are told in Proverbs 22:1 that “a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches”. The emphasis is not so much on the name you were given by your parents but on the name you earn by the kind of person you are. Sometimes, a given name seems to fit the person but many times it doesn’t. Sometimes people are given nicknames that best describe them, like my mother who was known as little Mary distinguishing her from my aunt Mary because my mother was only four feet and seven inches tall.

I think what is more important than anything else is what we could be named according to our actions.

I once saw something that asked you to compare yourself to one of the dwarfs in the story of Snow White and the 7 dwarfs. Which one could best describe your life: Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Sneezy, Happy, Grumpy, or Sleepy?

Think about names that others could apply to you that could affect your witness like lazy, angry, nasty, cheater, or mean.

Hopefully they would think of names that would bring honor to God like, graceful, kind, loving, genuine, or generous. I’m sure there are other negative and positive names that you are thinking of as you read this.

Whether we realize it or not, others are evaluating us and if asked could voice an opinion of who we are. The good news is that we can change and Jesus living in and through us can help bring about that change.