Something really funny happened in high school a few years ago. One of the hostel mistresses had done something really uncalled for and she would not let me explain so I snapped at her and I told her that if she would not listen to me, I will also not listen to her (I do regret saying that because it was all in the heat of the moment and without the leading of the Holy Spirit).

A few days later, our parents came to get us from school cause extension was over,  I was  skipping down to my mum when I sighted her a few metres from me, but she was not alone. She was speaking to the hostel mistress that I had a little issue with.

I arrived  the scene to hear my mum saying “Rubie would never do that, my daughter will not do a thing like that” hehe.

I felt horrible that my mum would not believe her despite the fact that I actually did exactly what the woman had said I did but hey, my mother also knew the daughter she raised. I was still asked to apologise before we left though.

I was praying a few days ago and God was echoing in my heart that “Your nature must defend My Name“. I prayed further asking for clarity and I got insight that our nature must testify of The Name that we call. In this case,  Jesus.

Our nature (behaviour, character and mannerism) must be consistent with that of Jesus if we call His name.

So my mum knew her daughter Rubie, but after what the hostel mistress described, my mother had to oppose her cause she realised that the nature the woman described did not match her daughters name, hence her defence in saying ‘Rubie will never do that‘.

People are not wrong for holding us to the standard of Christ if we name the name of Christ. I always say to people that this christian walk is hardly about me as a person, God opens us wider each day to see a full picture and the more of that picture you see, the more you realise how important it is that we be the people that we say we are;  people of God.

If I say I am a christian, people expect me to exemplify Christ, and when I do not, they are not wrong for judging the name when the nature is inconsistent.

So you see, something larger than us is at stake here, we are not just representing ourselves when we relate with people, we represent an entire name and an entire body; first, the name of Jesus and secondly, the body of Christ.

I pray often that, “may I never be the reason for a person rejecting Christ” and by that I mean, may my character not ever be in such contrast to that of Jesus where people are doubting the person of Jesus because of me.

There is a higher call, and I pray we daily all live to it because we have a Name to defend by our nature.