Power in a Name

 In honor of Father's Day, inspired by my Dad
(the human one, and the Heavenly One)

“Are you kin to Dr. Honea? He is the best surgeon…”, “He fixed my mom’s… my daughter’s…So when I needed my (insert-gross-mental-image-procedure-here) I wouldn’t see anyone else!”, “...I love your Dad!”

Such is the life when your Dad is the most experienced surgeon in a small town (and it helps when your last name is an extremely unusual one). I got the polite smile-and-nod down pat by my preteens. There were times when I was proud. Times when I got tired of saying into the phone “Sorry, this is his home, not his office…I’m sure the other surgeon is wonderful too…” Times when I just wanted to be seen as myself, not as another Honea. Times when I loved my Dad who came to my soccer games and clarinet performances (regardless of the lives he saved during the 14 straight hours he worked before he got there, right on time).

My Dad’s reputation affected (when I’m back in my hometown, still affects!) the way people viewed me, what they think of when they see me, what kind of person they assume I am. There is power in a name. And my Dad taught me, with a twinkle of humor in his eye, to be proud of that name.

But when I leave my hometown and go down to Mississippi, no one knows my Dad and very few have heard the name “Honea” before. When they meet me, instead of assuming things about me, they asked questions like “Sorry, how do you pronounce your last name?” and, “I’ve never heard it before: what’s the country of origin?”

It reminds me of how we as Christians carry the name of Christ, the name of God. For better or for worse, consciously or subconsciously, people hear this “family” name and confer to us all the associations and assumptions it brings to their mind. Similarly, our words and actions can, for better or for worse, surprise, detract, or add to these associations.

Being a Christian in Japan is a bit like being a Honea in Mississippi. In Japan, it seems peoples’ automatic thoughts when they hear “Christian” are not necessarily negative – they’re just blank. I welcome questions, curiosity, and even wariness is understandable. I just hope someday…they get to meet my Heavenly Dad for themselves. Because like my human Dad, He really is the best, He heals like nobody’s business, and I love Him like crazy.

For now, I try to remember I might be the first impression some people get of our family Name, try to describe our Dad and our family I love. And I hope to get to make a few introductions.