What's In A Name?

A cat on the outside, a lion in the innards

Josh shared with me a list of popular baby names in 2006. He was tickled that his name was #3 on the list. It only goes to show that his is a common name

The conversation then took a nostalgic turn. He asked me about the meaning of my name. I used to run a daily email encouragement group where I would send inspiring and encouraging articles that I read to people who subscribe to it. At the height of it, about 60+ people were on the group. Now it's 47 - which is quite amazing for a group that has not been active in a while.

I remembered sending a notice to this group circa 2000 announcing the change of my name to Ariel. And to my delight, I managed to locate it in that online email group. The very words I wrote so long ago is now speaking volumes to my heart. I feel very much lifted and encouraged to continue on bearing my name proudly. Here's the mail from near-Christmas past:

Dear Friends,

Just a note to tell you that I've changed my name (upon conviction from the Lord) to Ariel, which means "Lioness of Judah," representing the Messiah Jesus as the Lion of Judah. It is also an alternate name for Jerusalem (Isaiah 29:1) - the city of peace now waiting for the Prince
of Peace to return.

So many events have taken place in my life and God has led me through a time of healing, cleansing and deliverance from the baggages of the past. He has made me into a new creation! A name is powerful and often marks the turning point of a person's life - eg. Simon son of Jonah to Peter (Cephas), the Rock.

Make no mistake, I'm still a work-in-progress who still have many weaknesses to deal with until Christ comes again. But I no longer have to bow to the lies of the evil one because the wounds of the past and the footholds of the evil one have been exposed, cast off and healed.

I can't stress enough how important it is for us to ask God to search our hearts and expose to us the things hidden therein.

[Psalm 139:23-24] Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Only then will we be able to let Him heal us and we will be set free from carrying heavy burdens like secret sins, bitterness, unforgiveness, rejection, etc for years, thinking that we are perfectly ok but are actually grievously wounded inside. And when we build things upon such a shaky and wounded foundation, it will only crumble one day. God may be the One who causes all that we have built to crumble so that He may unearth and remove the dirt buried deep within the depths of your heart. Only then will anything that you build upon the foundation of Jesus will remain standing eternally according to His will.

Indeed the Bible is our mirror and we need not compare ourselves with each other. When you read God's Word and are being led by the Holy Spirit, you will find truths there that will change your lives from inside out. As you earnestly seek God, He will bring events and people into your life that will only serve to draw you closer to Him. Do not fear trials or adversities. They are our friends when we allow them to draw us nearer to God and to trust Him with all that we have.

In Him,
Ariel
21 Dec 2000

Thanks, Josh for inspiring me to take a trip down memory lane in search for the roots of my name

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