Names Pt. 2

In my previous post I spoke about the importance of names in the Bible. How it seems that each name had a true meaning. Now I want to share some of my own thoughts on names.

Ever since I was young, I had an on-going list of the names I would give my children one day. I chose they purely because I liked the way they looked or they sounded. I'm not saying there is something wrong with that concept, just stay with me.

Lately I have been wondering whether God has given each of us a name with a specific meaning. Maybe some parents know what God has named their kids and name them that in this world too.

I know a lovely lady who had a few stories to tell about this all in her own family. I asked her permission to share them with you. When she was born her mother named her Jennifer Jones (after the actress), but it didn't take long to realize that the name Jennifer just didn't fit her! (It means 'fair' and 'white', fyi) While this lady is both of those things, the name she ended up with fits her so much better. Now her name means "Bright meadow" and "born again". She has the sweetest spirit of anyone I know. Her name truly fits her. Amazing how that happens.

Well, the name stories continue with her eldest son. For the first few years of his life he had a name which meant "Just" and "Charcoal". =D But then, before he was old enough to go to school, his parents each had a moment where they felt they were supposed to change his name! They prayed about it, but the real shocker was when their little son, out of the blue, actually asked them to give him a new name, and it was so close to the name they felt God had put in their heart! And so they got his name legally changed, and allowed him to pick out his new middle name. Now his name means "YHWH is God" and "Who is like God?".

I find her stories so interesting. They have a third story, but I'll save it for a future post. Isn't it just incredible how God had this little boy's name picked out? I think it is!

So I've been wondering. If God does have a name for each of us, does that mean we might get a new name in heaven? A name that is so perfect at describing our innermost being. Wouldn't that be exciting? To know that the God of all living has given each one of us a name? I love that thought.

So, do you think I'm crazy? Totally bonkers? Do you agree? What do you think about this idea?

Names

 I've been thinking a lot about names lately. God must think names are pretty important! If you are reading through the Bible you see that each name had a meaning and that's why they were called by that name.

Adam = Man.
The first man ever created was given the name Man

Seth = Appointed.
From what I remember, Seth was born after Cain murdered Abel...so it wouldn't surprise me if Seth then became the appointed head of the family.

Abram = High father
Changed to Abraham = Father of many nations
God has changed a person's name a few times in the Bible. Probably the most notable is Abraham, and his name change was to signify God's covenant with him.

Jacob = Supplanter

It really is an interesting story about how Jacob ended up getting all the benefits of the first born son, although he was second born.
Name change to Israel = God contended
God changed Jacob to Israel after the wrestling match between Jacob and the Angel of God.

Naomi = Pleasantness
Changed to Mara = Bitter
She did change her own name, but it still speaks to the importance of names. I'm not sure that her name change meant that she was bitter towards God for her suffering or something else. 

David = Beloved
He was a man after God's own heart.

Isaiah = YHWH is salvation
It is in his book that we find so many prophecies about the coming Christ.

Even looking at how some Hebrew names were changed by the Babylonian nation is very interesting!

Hananiah = YHWH is gracious

Changed to Shadrach = Command of Aku

The Hebrew name given to glorify the God of the Israelites, the Babylonian name given to honor one of their gods, Aku.

Mishael = Who is like God?

Changed to Meshach = Who is like Aku?

The names are the exact opposite. Isn't that interesting?

Azariah = YHWH has helped
Changed to Abednego = servant of Nebo

We can obviously see that the Hebrew names were meant to glorify the true God, and how, without their consent, they were changed to completely dishonor the true God. Surely this means that names are important.

This is a long enough post for today. I have more thoughts on names, but I'll continue it later. Please keep in mind that I am not a Bible scholar, so if I made any mistakes, please let me know. 

Projects

My hubby has been pretty busy with work lately. With all the extra time by myself, I have been working on projects! My first project was painting the top on our dining table. We had already painted the legs.

I decided to use the main color as my base coat. I had a lot of problems with texture. It took many coats to get it how I wanted it.

Then I taped out the outline for my red boxes.

I have found that red paint requires a lot of coats to make it look truly red.

Here is the finished table with the gloss. And you even get a sneak peak of another project!

My second project is knitting Thor a sweater! I definitely admit that knitting is not my best skill, but, I am doing my best. Poor buddy is out-growing the sweater we bought him, so I need to hurry up! I'm nowhere close to being done with it. Unfortunately, knitting is a chore for me, so I'm finding it hard to be motivated. But I have been bringing it with me to friend's house to knit while watching movies.

This here is my third project! I finished this blanket a couple of days ago. It took me somewhere around 20-25 hours to complete. I enjoy crocheting a lot more than I do knitting, but it's not nearly as portable.

And here is the beginning of my next project. (Yes, I started this before finishing Thor's sweater. I'm such a mean mommy.) I'm doing another blanket with the same pattern as the first. The first blanket is for my nephew, and this is for my youngest niece.

A couple years ago I did a post about my baby gift for my eldest niece. It was a quilt that I'd made. And just a couple of weeks ago I got to thinking that it's just not fair for only the eldest child to get that from their Aunt Lizzie. So now I'm making up for lost time. I'm going to do my best to crochet a blanket for every future baby in my whole family. I'm also hoping to continue learning new stitches so I can make each blanket unique in some way.

It has been so nice for me to have these projects to keep me occupied. I love to be working on them while watching movies or listening to sermons. It makes the day go by so quickly, and I really feel like I accomplished something. I really enjoy working with my hands.

I've also really enjoyed teaching MMM how to both knit and crochet! He's done quite well, and I'm very proud of him for learning it. He has been helping me with Thor's sweater the most (hurray!), so hopefully we'll get it done soon.

What kind of projects have you been working on?

A Year in Review

The Christmas letter we should have sent out. =P

Dear Friends and Family,

                It has been quite the year! We decided that for our first year together, we would like to start a good habit and write a Christmas letter every year! (Hopefully.)  The year began very well with a deepening relationship with each other which eventually led to a proposal in February! The day after MMM proposed, he left for a two week trip for his job. That gave me the great opportunity to get a start on wedding planning. 

                A short three months later came our wedding day. It was a perfect day in June and we are both so thankful for that! It was so much fun to have that day with so many friends and family to celebrate with us.  The day went perfectly and that was largely due to all the wonderful help we received. Thank you so much to all of you who helped us.

                We had a few shorts days after the wedding off before MMM had to go back to work full time and I went back to work part time.  Life continued on for about two months where we had to learn how to be married and how to live with someone new.  And then at the end of those two months, we packed up and headed to Ohio for a three month training.

                Dayton, Ohio was an amazing experience for us both. Having the opportunity to spend those months relatively alone really gave us the time to get used to being married, and learn how to work through issues as they came along. It was a time of great growth for both of us.  We were extremely blessed in our church family there, and learned a lot from them about how to be a blessing to others.

                Coming back to the Windy City was quite the ‘adventure’ (read as ‘stressful’) because we still hadn’t found a place to live. But, we learned again and again how important it is to trust the Lord for our next step. As we trusted Him He provided us with a place to live at the very last second!  We are so grateful we were able to move in just a few short days after arriving in the city.

                It has been so much fun making our little house into a home! We are enjoying the area and the convenient distance from MMM’s job.  We had just a short time to settle in before heading down to Arizona for our belated honeymoon. It was a great time just getting away from the stresses of moving and being back at his job. We had a wonderful time there and were able to visit with some great friends and family.

                Immediately from Arizona, we went to Iowa for our biggest family Thanksgiving ever!  What a joy it was to have the opportunity to be with family. In all likelihood, we won’t have everyone back  together again. Our family is spreading out and growing, so that makes it so much harder to coordinate!

                Speaking of growing families, we do have an addition! His name is Thor, and he is the most cuddly puppy I’ve ever known. He also has been the source of much frustration, laughter, and joy. MMM and I have been learning more and more how much work it is to have a dog, but the rewards are more than worth it. We both love him so much already, and he’s only been here a short while.

                This year was probably the craziest year in both of our lives, but it has also been the happiest and most fulfilling. We have been very blessed. And now I sign off with a very Merry Christmas to all of you! Wishing you all the best.