He inhaled long and hard on the cigarette, taking the smoke deep into his lungs. And as he slowly exhaled, with a sigh those words came out that I've remembered for 40 years now: "Some days I wish my name wasn't Tom!"

 

Tom was my uncle's first vice-president, and I was his assistant, his gopher, that first summer I worked at Bradley Supply. Tom did all the trouble-shooting, whether it was expediting orders that were bogged down in our shop or tracking parts of an order which were missing from one of our vendors. Whenever you heard someone in the office say, "Tom..." what followed was seldom good. Tom also gave me a lift home each day after work - he liked to listen to the Cubs game on the radio during that slow drive in traffic down Western Ave, and it was during one of those rides that he let that little insight above slip out. "Some days..."

  

Have you ever wished your name wasn't ____________? When you hear your name, do you get 'that feeling' - like when the phone rings at 7:00 a.m. and you know somebody needs a sub?

 

In last week's Chapel message, one of our teachers had a couple dozen students hold up just some of the names for our Lord Jesus. Imagine how people call to Him...and He welcomes those who call on His name because He loves us. There were a lot more "glamorous" jobs in my uncle's company - some guys seemed to be out wining and dining customers and playing golf all the time. But what Tom did kept everything running successfully day to day.

 

I know you're really busy right now, but I'm glad for your name, and I pray you are, too. And, when you have those days where everyone seems to be calling out your name, praise God who has Called you by name into His grace and into His service...and remember that there is One on Whom we call whose Name is above every other name in heaven and on earth.

 

God Bless you during this busy time of Advent and grant you His peace.

 

chuck