A Good Name...

Proverbs 22:1 (ESV) "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”

I took the kids to the Chick-fil-A headquarters on a day off from school.  I achieved some kind of status with them that means I’ve bought a lot of chicken nuggets, so they invited me to a backstage tour (I later learned that it’s a fairly open invitation, but I still felt special).  On the tour, they show you the obligatory company timeline and prices from the original menu and such. The kids loved it.  They even tried to open the vault that holds the secret ingredients.  

After a few stories, the lovely tour guide took us to Truett's (always 'Mr. Cathy’s’) office, kept as it likely was when he ran day-to-day operations.  On his desk is a rolodex, some pictures and his Bible opened to Proverbs 22:1, his life verse.  As is well known, Mr. Cathy grew up in the Depression, so ‘a good name’ was often all he had.  His stories are documented in his books and they ground on doing good work well with honor and dignity.  

The end of the tour took us by a portion of Mr. Cathy’s car collection.  Suddenly, history lessons became real for the kids.  Their favorite was a tie between the original Batmobile and a cow studded Harley-Davidson.  The docent told stories of Mr. Cathy driving his grandkids around campus wearing a child’s Batman costume. They imagined going to school in the Batmobile and would hear none of the docent’s admonitions that it was not street legal and topped out at 37 miles per hour.  But in fantasy, reality isn’t welcome.        

After the tour, we grabbed a sandwich at the original Dwarf House and talked more about how to turn the minivan into the Batmobile. 

Standing in line, one of the kids whispered, “Daddy, is the McCoy name a good name?” 

I was struck dumb.  His question was direct, pointed, weighted, honest, vulnerable, sincere and curious. 

Mr. Cathy’s example brought the Scriptures to life. While ‘a good name is all he had’ may have been true early in his life, he also worked to build his name commensurate with his financial well-being in his and future generations. 

I know the McCoy family history well enough to know that it comes to my son with black marks from previous generations, recent to past (The History Channel illustrates a graphic chapter in the family past).  

I also know the Cathy family.  I know what’s published in the paper because I read the stories.  I also know what it’s like to be welcomed into their home and that they are, in every experience I’ve had with them, as real as it gets.  

I felt the weight of my son’s question on my shoulders — as if to say, ‘Dad, are you giving me a good name? Am I a good man? Are you a good man?’ His question was real and vulnerable and honest and sincere and yet I felt judgement at what I was passing on to him.

After what felt like hours of self-doubt, I responded to my son: ‘it’s up to you buddy. It’s up to us.’  

So we got extra whipped cream on our milkshakes and talked about what make a good name and what it will be like when we both grow up.