Honor Their Names

I'd like to share something with you from our Come Follow Me lesson this week.  From the manual:

"President George Albert Smith’s deceased grandfather George A. Smith appeared to him in a dream and asked, “I would like to know what you have done with my name.” President Smith responded, “I have never done anything with your name of which you need be ashamed” (in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith [2011], xxvi)."

The Scripture that goes along with that from the lesson this week is Helaman 5: 6-7:

6 Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

7 Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them. 

This scripture points out that we should remember our parents and ancestors and their good works.  And that we should honor their names by also doing that which is good.

My patriarchal blessing mentions something along the same lines:

"You were sent to a home of goodly parents who love you.  Add honor and dignity to their names."

If my dad were to appear to me in a dream like President Smith's grandpa did to him, could I give him the same answer that President Smith gave to his grandfather?  "I have never done anything with your name of which you need to be ashamed."  I hope I could say the same thing to my dad.

This same principle could also apply to anyone who has been baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  When we are baptized we covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to always remember Him and to keep His commandments.

As a missionary, we are reminded every day of the baptismal covenant we made to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ.  We wear his name on a black name tag on our chest everyday.  It serves as an excellent reminder of who we are representing every day.

But when we come home,  it becomes easy to forget that even though we don't physically put a name tag on every day, our baptismal covenant has not changed and we still represent our Savior.  We still covenanted to take upon us His name.

Granted, we all make mistakes in mortality, but do we strive, on a daily basis, to do our best to represent our Savior and our goodly parents' names?

I hope I add honor and dignity to my parents' names.  I hope my dad is not ashamed at how I represent his name.  I hope our Savior, Jesus Christ, is pleased with the way I have taken His name upon me.

May we all strive to honor the good names of our parents and ancestors.  May we never do anything to cause them to be ashamed of us in the way we've treated their name.

For those of us who have covenanted to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, may we always strive to remember Him and keep His commandments.

There is a lot at stake in a person's name.  Do not dishonor your parents and ancestors by tarnishing their good name.

That's my two cents.