A New Name
By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
This past week was a bittersweet time for our family. For the past six years, an international student named Luke Han has lived in our home. He came to us while he was in seventh grade and this year he graduated from Auburn Adventist Academy. When he arrived, he barely understood or spoke English. But when he left he was fully conversant in English as well as understanding of the American way of life.
He was truly a part of our family. He had learned to clean his room and his bathroom. He learned to cook and take household responsibilities. He had learned how to study and apply himself in the academic world. He had learned about family worship. Having been raised as an only child he also learned how to interact with his new American siblings.
When Monday after graduation came, it was time for him to return home to Korea on a permanent basis. It was a sad day. He was shedding tears and we of course were as well. I am not good with that kind of goodbye.
I drove him to where we were meeting the academy bus that would take him to the airport. As we waited with other international students, one of his friends started to talk with him as she could tell that Luke was upset and sad. After a little bit she said to him, "You can call yourself Luke Bing Han."
Luke brightened up, turned to me and said, “I will have that be my middle name. In Korea they don’t have middle names. I will adopt that as my middle name.”
I told him that he was welcome to adopt that as his middle name. In fact, it made me tear up once again that he would want to adopt our family name.
It reminded me of the new name that is promised to us in Revelation 3:12.
“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”
I love this text. Not only will we get a new name from Jesus, but it says that we shall not go out anymore. No more need to say goodbye and face separation. No more long flights. We have the name of God on us and a new name as well.
Let us continue to grow spiritually each day with the assurance that Jesus is eager to give us that new name and wants to spend eternity with us.