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In His Name

Over the summer, my dad gave me his Costco card so that I can go and pick up some household items while he was at work. Not a big deal--except that only the card owner is allowed to make purchases in Costco. After making some calls, the manager agreed to let me in this one time with a signed note from my dad. Second problem: my dad is at work and is not able to sign the note, so he told me to sign it, so I went ahead because he gave me permission to use his name

Arriving at Costco, I flashed the member’s card at the lady checking them at the entrance as I walked in. I kept the signed note tightly gripped in my other hand because without that note, I was an intruder. And as a representative of my father (the rightful owner of the Costco card), I went about the errands my dad would have come for: olive oil, trash bags, fruit, toilet paper, glasses… and that’s where I got stopped.

As I requested my sister’s glasses and prepared to pay for it, the technician at the optometry department said that she couldn’t allow me to buy the glasses, even after taking a look at the note with my dad’s signature. She didn’t have the authority to approve the note and allow me to purchase the glasses, so she sent me to customer services.

After being redirected about three times, I finally reached the manager. Luckily, the manager remembered offering my dad permission to sign his card over to me, as long as I had a signed notice from my dad. She approved the note and allowed me go on with my business. I bought the things I needed, more confidently knowing that I have received approval from my father and the manager, and came home with all the items I was entrusted with.

As I drove home that day, I reflected on that whole experience because it seemed all too familiar. I’m not just talking about Costco, but as a passing traveler in this world: am I not a representative of Christ, carrying His name until I go to Heaven, our home? I realized how great the responsibility is: if I fool around and make a mess at Costco, my father’s name is tainted because I am there as his representative. In the same way, I am a walking representative of Christ, so it does matter how I live out my life (1 Peter 2:12). If I am rejected with the signed note, they answer to my father. In the same way, if I am rejected for my faith, Jesus is rejected (Luke 10:16). Without a signed note from my dad, I work to carry out my errands in vain because at checkout, I won’t be able to buy anything. In the same way, without Christ at the core of our identity here on Earth, what are we striving for? What do our works even mean? (Matthew 7:22)

Spiritually speaking, we are entrusted with the most valuable identity ever: a child of God. It works the same way: it is a privilege and a high honor! Through Jesus, God made a way for us so that we can know Him on a personal level. In each experience, whether good or bad, look to the Father and remember who you are in Him. Satan may often tell you that you are a fraud, that Jesus would never to identify Himself with you, but hold onto your note (with His name) and look up. You are a representative of Jesus: be diligent to remain faithful to Him, while remembering His character of grace, mercy, and love for you.

Tatiana Kim is a graduate student at Loma Linda University, getting a MS in Nutrition and Dietetics; and is originally from New Jersey.