My First Blog!!

Heheh! So I know that the name of this blog could be alarming to some people, but don't worry! I'm not too crazy..... Hahah, actually the title of this blog is the meaning of my name! And I really wanted to talk about that.

Do you ever think about how important names are? In the bible, you see that when a parent would name their child, very often the name would mean something special. Either the name would describe something the parent was going through around the time of the child's birth, or it would foretell something about the child or the child's life. Benjamin, the son of Jacob (also known as Israel), almost was named Ben-Oni which means son of my sorrows! Rachel was going to name her child that because she was dying, but what kind of life do you think he would have had? He would have had to hear that he was a child born out of sorrow every day of his life! But Israel, even though he was saddened by the death of Rachel, wasn't willing to have his son named for sorrow. Instead, he named him Benjamin which means Son of my right hand. What a name! Instead of hearing that he was a child associated with death and sorrow, Benjamin grew up knowing that his father LOVED him and that he was highly favored!

Sometimes God would change someone's name to reflect the new circumstances and blessings He was about to shower on them. Isn't that beautiful? No matter what your parents or friends think about you or say about you, God sees you how you are! He can change your name to reflect the tremendous love and compassion He has for you. He will wipe your slate clean and give you the name that reflects your TRUE self, the you that He sees!

One of the reasons names are so important is that they are spoken outloud. Whether you know the meaning of your name or not, if affects your life. I have a best friend whose name means, "Enlightened One" and "Out of the dark river". His life has been filled with struggles and trials. He's been into some really dark things, but God got hold of him and now, my friend is fullfilling the meaning of his name! He's enlightened and he's passed the dark times!

My name may mean Listener of God, but I've always been called Sam. When I was younger, I went through struggles and dark times, and I'd find myself thinking that I didn't really reflect the meaning of my name. Sometimes, when I was really down, I'd wonder why it felt like God wasn't hearing my cries or comforting me. One time when I was really feeling dark, I went online as usual and started checking my emails. On a whim, I went to a baby name site and looked up my name again. In the bottom corner of the page, there was a hyperlink that led to my nickname. I clicked it and guess what I found out?? Do you know what Sam means? "God hears!"

God bless you!

Samantha F.