Morn’ Identity
A few months ago the fort was broken into, ransacked, infiltrated by the enemy. When my roommates and I arrived we found evidence of all sorts of curious pranks scattered about the house. Some we recognized earlier than others, and some took more time to discover. We immediately realized that every garbage can had been maliciously stolen, it took 7 days to find the 7 goldfish that were swimming separately in 7 different cups, and the girls/enemy laughed when it took until the 7th day to find the one in the cleaning closet. The colder shower in the morning showed that the enemy was clever, and I was grateful that my roommate checked the hot water heater early so no repercussions were felt from that one. Lastly, and most noteworthy for discussion seemed a small thing a few months ago, but taught me something important this very morning. The enemy had to point out that they removed all the labels from each of the cans of various types of food that we had, and sure enough when we checked the cupboards, all the labels were gone and we had no way of knowing what food was in each of the cans. We didn’t really care, because we didn’t cook, and we made a game out of it- I would pass each can around have everybody guess and then we would open it to discover the real contents. The whole potatoes, refried beans, and green beans went to waste, while we consumed the canned peaches and pears. Life went on, and as the days passed sporadically when I wanted food I would look into the cupboard and smile when I saw the cans with no name, no indication of what they were or who they were. I always ended up giving up on identifying the cans and eating something else.
This morning was different. I woke up at 5am sharp and cleaned my room, did some laundry but halted because my stomach was calling for food, and specifically some fruit. I instinctively looked into the cupboard to locate my canned peaches and saw that I would have to open 8 cans to find my peaches, because I didn’t know what they were and having all been put in the same location, I was surprised how important those labels were in finding what I wanted. I had no good way to distinguish between the good (peaches) and the bad (whole potatoes). That is when I thought and realized that it is important to have a name, know our name, and display our name, so that any day that the Lord calls on us, whether it be today when he asks us to “show forth good examples” bearing his name, or the last day when he calls us by name, we will know the name, remember and retain the name, and finally recognize and respond to the name. After all, it is His name by which we are called. (Mosiah 5:8-12; Alma 5:38). I will try and be better at representing him and his name.
I eventually found the peaches and I have enjoyed eating them while I have been typing this up.
Torn Identity
Life forces us to choose. We can’t even choose not to choose because choosing to not choose is a choice. Upon registering for the blog I was asked to choose a name by which I would be known throughout my blogging life. I was instantly weighed down by what probably seems to most a simple and reasonable request, but to me was a daunting demand. Why would that be so daunting you might ask? What’s in a name? Why do I think so much?
So let’s discuss it. What is a name? Dictionary.com has two definitions that may help us understand more deeply what a name is (and why I struggled with the decision). Name: 1) a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, a body or class, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known. 2) the verbal or other symbolic representation of a thing, event, property, relation, or concept. So I am asked to quickly decide how I am going to be known, identified, judged, symbolized, represented, and referred to, before I even know what I am going to write about or what I want to be known for. Talk about pressure!! Do I choose a name and choose my words to represent that name, or do I just write what I want to write and let my name be molded and transformed in others’ minds until they associate my name with the words I naturally choose? Rarely do we get to choose our name, so when we do it is important not to mess it up. I mean consider how often it is used in 3 Nephi 27, and tell me that it isn’t important. Maybe that was a little too serious of a comparison, but I want you to feel the anxiety I went through as I struggled to choose a name.
With all that going through my mind, you can imagine the relief I felt when after moments of deep deliberation the perfect name crept into my cranium. I excitedly populated the empty box with my soon to be identity and suddenly to my utter dismay the red words across the screen informed me that that perfect name was already identifying somebody besides me. The same thing happened with the next two next to perfect names that I had thought of, and the possibility of having the perfect name became unattainable. I realized that a great name doesn’t make a person or his writings great, but that a great writer and person would make his name great. I was therefore doomed to mediocrity with my mediocre blog name being represented by my mediocre writings.
