A Name Matters
They walk our streets and our sidewalks with long hair and tattered clothes, pushing grocery carts or carrying their backpacks. We glance at them then quickly look away, often treating them as “nobodies.” They are the homeless, and while too often we may not care, God does and each of them has both a story and a name.
Does knowing someone’s name really make a difference? In biblical times your name carried great importance and significance. Does it now?
During the first week of my new job at the Springs Rescue Mission, I was working in our food pantry. People walked up to the window for food and I would ask their name — I needed to record them on a form. One man came up to the window, and when I asked him his name he replied, “my name is John, and don’t forget it.” It was at that moment I started to think about the importance of a name, and how that simple act of asking a name can be the bridge to building a relationship.
What’s in a name?
A name is the first possession a person is given at birth and the only possession they take with them into the life beyond. A person’s name is a link to their family and their history. To call a person by their name rather than “hey you,” is to honor them regardless of their condition and circumstance.
The population that we serve at Springs Rescue Mission has been beaten down in more ways than we could ever imagine. They have had people, possessions, jobs, and even hope stripped away from them. The one thing they retain is their name. Often the first step in helping a person is asking their name.
Remember the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible? He was a tax collector who selfishly took more from people than the law demanded. In many ways he shared nothing in common with the homeless. He was rich and they were poor. Yet, like the homeless, he was ignored and even hated by people. Do you remember the first thing Jesus did when he met him? He called him by name: “Zacchaeus, come down . . .” (Luke 19:1–10). In fact Jesus often began life changing relationships by calling a person by their name.
A name is a bond.
John now comes to find me every day just to say, “Hi, Hillary.” And I have not forgotten his name.
“Good morning, John.”
The simple step of asking John his name created a relationship in which he is starting to feel safe and comfortable with me.
Relationship is the beginning of the bridge between homelessness and self-sufficiency. Knowing a person’s name is the beginning of relationship.
Often a changed life begins with something as simple as asking a person’s name.
The Springs Rescue Mission has the experience, expertise, and compassion to help our neighbors who are homeless find their self-sufficiency, and once again become vital members of society. We need people willing to invest their time and financial resources to make our mission a reality.
Originally published at www.springsrescuemission.org on September 3, 2015.
