Glad That I’m A Christian

June 2, 2020 (Tuesday)

A few of our presidents were best known by their initials, like TR (Teddy Roosevelt), FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt), JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy), LBJ (Lyndon Baines Johnson).

I had several friends when I was growing up who were called, “Bubba,” but that was not their real name. They grew up with the name and for some it became the only name known by their friends. Some of my friends named “Robert” were always known as “Bobby.” If your name was Richard, you might be called, “Dickie.” “William” became “Billy.” Some guys were named after their fathers and everyone called them, “Junior,” their entire lives. My name as a small child was, “Pill.” Girls named “Alexandria” became “Alex.” Many girls were called by their first two names, like “Sue Ellen.” I always felt sorry for a girl in my class when we had to write out our names because she was “Geraldine Kirkpatrick.” When we were first learning how to write, it took a while for her to complete those two long words. There were 11 letters in my name, but 20 letters in hers. If she married I hope she got a short name. She deserved it.

In the Bible Book of Acts, it says, “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Later, when Christians were outlawed and persecuted, Peter wrote “if any suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed..” We Christians are glad to be a part of the family of God, and therefore happy to be known as Christians. A song tells us how we can spot a Christian: “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, and they will know we are Christians by our love.”

Many presidents had nicknames, some of which were honorable but others were downright uncomplimentary.