Having conversations with my teenage son is actually enlightening sometimes. Not that it’s not enlightening ever, but let’s face it, we don’t always like the same subjects or even understand some of the same language we speak in the same house! One of our conversations recently was about a friend of his. After a discussion about this friend and what he had done, I asked, “What is his last name again?” and Tucker responded, “I don’t’ know.” “How do you NOT know his last name if he’s a friend!?” was my response. My son reminded me by tartly asking me if I knew Noah’s last name. I told him I wasn’t sure which Noah he was referring to because if I did, I would certainly know his last name. He meant Noah, as in the Noah who built the ark. Seriously?! Did he just turn that around on me?
Now, this is probably a 3rd or 4th time during other conversations in the past that I’ve asked him if he knew a friend’s last name. The answer has always been the same – “I don’t know”. When I grew up, we knew everyone’s last name! They were also known by their parent’s name such as John Anderson’s daughter or Rachel Smith’s son. Is it that ironic that these younger generations have leaned more towards a one name society?
The other side of that conversation - going back to the friend who did “something” - went more in the direction of a devotion (which really warmed my heart as a mom). What do we want our only name to mean to others if they only know our first name – by something we did? If we did good, good! If we did bad, did we confess and correct and be known by that?
We all know one name and a last name is not needed to know Him. His name, His story, and all that we do through Him, because of Him, is all we need to know.
“So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Col 1:10
So maybe a last name isn’t as important as we have made it to be in society. Maybe how we live our life is more important.
Marcia K. Gibney
Director of Recreation Ministry
Christ United Methodist Church