The emperor Alexander the Great one of the greatest generals of all times conquered almost the whole world known in his time with the help of his huge army.
One night, during a campaign not being able to sleep he went out to walk around the tents of his camp. While walking he found a soldier who was sleeping during his guard shift – a capital mistake. The punishment for such mistakes was sometimes death on the spot and other times the commander poured tar over the sleeping soldier and burnt it.
The soldier woke up when Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing him the young man got afraid.
`Do you know what`s the punishment for sleeping during your guard shift? He asked the soldier.
`Yes sir` the soldier answered with a quivering voice.
`What is your name, soldier?` asked Alexander the Great
`Alexander` general.
Alexander the Great repeated his question:
`What`s your name?`
`My name is Alexander` the soldier repeated.
The great general asked for the third time:
`What`s your name?`
The soldier answered even more afraid:
`My name is Alexander` general.
Alexander the Great looked the young soldier in the eye and told him:
`Soldier, change your name or if not, change your character.`
How many times our King, the King of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ comes to us and finds us sleeping. Sometimes we wake up other times we don`t. If we don`t want to wake, He wakes us in a way or another out of His great mercy, whispering to us lovingly:
`Soldier, change your character or…`
But He doesn`t want us to change our name of Christians, only our character, although we bear His name unworthily.
