A little over four years ago my wife and I found out we were having a baby girl. Together we decided to name her Rylee Joyce Sigle. We both loved the name Rylee and having two great grandmothers named Joyce sealed the middle name. We decided not to tell anybody until she was born (let me suggest doing this if you enjoy angering close friends and family). The reason for keeping the secret was twofold. For one, we knew some people would not like the name and quite frankly we didn't care. More importantly, we know that whenever you hear a name without meeting the person your mind begins thinking of others you know with the same name. This could be good or bad depending on who you know. We didn't want the name to define our daughter. Rather, we wanted people to meet Rylee, the person, and allow her to define the name Rylee Joyce Sigle.
If you have met my daughter, you know that the name Rylee Joyce Sigle is defined by a sweet little girl who may be a little shy at first but when she warms up is a ball of goofy, imaginative, spunk. She is a kind, sharing, compassionate little girl. We wanted that to define the name Rylee.
As much as I love talking about my sweet little girl, I really want to talk about another name. A name I would venture to say most everyone living in the United States has heard, and probably almost as many as have heard it have conjured up a definition within their minds. What do you think of when you hear the name "Christian"? For some it simply means a follower of Christ. For Christians, the Bible should define the term. You may be thinking of verses that describe the character of a Christian, such as the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) or the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-12).
Now, what about non-Christians who do not know what the Bible says a Christian is supposed to be? Where do they draw their definition from? The only connection they may have is you and me! I have heard it said that we may be the only bible some people ever read. Which leads me to ask the question, how am I portraying the name "Christian" in my life? Am I giving the proper definition the Bible gives? Am I Living out the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?
In documentaries and statistics of what nonbelievers think of Christians, the number one answer is "Hypocrites." As they see Christians, they see people who are not living what they are preaching. We have to ask ourselves what definition of "Christian" we are showing in our lives. Jesus tells us in Matt. 5:16, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." In other words live a life that gives the proper definition of the name "Christian."
Blessings,
Jeremy
"Encourage one another, build up one another."
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