One Friday back in 1966 (!) I was getting ready for a first date. The boy was from a different high school; I barely knew him. But Dad must’ve had inside information! Right before I left, Dad pulled me aside. Being a man of few words, he was struggling. Then finally, and seeming kind of emotional, he managed to say: “I just wanna say one thing: Remember who you are. That’s all. Just remember who you are.”
To cut to the chase… The significance of Dad’s warning became clear very early in the evening. And I did NOT go out with that boy again!
Dad’s “who you are” warning—though delivered very quietly—strongly affected me in the moment. That was partly because other “who you are” scenes had played out around that same time. My dad, along with his brother and their dad, owned a small business. Picture Main Street in a small town, all the shops within a few blocks’ walking distance. An “everybody knows everybody” setting.
As a high school junior/senior, I sometimes worked for Dad on Saturdays. And occasionally he’d send me on an errand up the street. He’d say, for example, “Go ask Mr. Vance at the bank if…” or “Go ask Mr. Skinner at the furniture store for…” And he finished up my instructions with: “Tell ’em who you are!”
So I’d walk into the designated place, find the designated person, and say, “I’m Hubert Lusby’s daughter. Dad wants to know if you would ____.” And the person invariably replied, “Well, sure!”
Those times made me see the advantages of having a respected dad. Anyone who knew him seemed eager to help him out—and surely would help me too, should I need help at some later time. It was a feeling of pride and power! And it made me think about my own reputation. As the daughter of the respected Hubert Lusby, I sure wouldn’t have wanted to introduce myself with, “I’m the respected Hubert Lusby’s… er… uh, disreputable daughter”!
I’m still proud that Hubert Lusby was my dad. And his directives from decades ago have application to my being a daughter of the perfect Father, the Lord Almighty. (See “Perfect Father, Commander, Coach.”) Think of 2 Corinthians 5:20, describing us as “Christ’s ambassadors.” When we keep that in mind, we’re more likely to represent the Lord well by reflecting his standards. We’re also more likely to want to tell others the benefits of following the Lord.
So as you, believer in Christ, head uptown today: “remember who you are.” And “tell ’em who you are!”
