Many years ago, my husband had a first cousin by the name of “Buster” Wasden. Buster was just starting first grade, and like all children, he was a little apprehensive about this new venture.

By the end of the first week, he had adapted pretty well.

He came home and told his mother: “Whenever the teacher calls the roll, there’s this one little boy who hasn’t been to school, not even one day ‘cause he never answers. His name is Homer Lee, and we haven’t seen him yet! He’s gonna be in a lot of trouble.”

His mother laughed and said, “Buster, you are Homer Lee. That’s your real name. Buster is just a nickname.”

We’ve never let him live that down.

This sounds like just a funny story, but it’s a true story. There are many people who don’t know their real names. Names were important in Biblical times because they represented a person’s identity. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are all given a new name: It is Christian. We represent the name of God in all we say and do. A lot of us go by nicknames, here on earth. I don’t know how mine is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I just want to make sure when Father calls it, I answer, “I’m here, Lord.”