What's in a name?

Have you ever researched the meaning of your name?

When you dig into the Word, you find that names often had a purpose. Even in the Old Testament, names were given with reason. I mean, Jacob and Esau's names were based solely on how they presented at birth - "holder of the heel" and "hairy" respectively (Genesis 25:19-34).

(Can I just take a moment to thank my parents for not naming my twin sister and me based on how we looked at birth? I can't imagine what those names would be.)

But let's think about Jesus. Jesus was named for the will of God and ultimate purpose of His life: to save the world (Matthew 1:21).

Jesus fulfilled, and continues to fulfill, the purpose for which He was named. I want to do the same. I want to live by the definition of the word that was assigned to my life.

When I researched my name, I found that it could hold any of the following meanings: defender of mankind, joy, courage, full of risk, going on a voyage, or happy angel. I'd be pretty content with any of those life missions, really, but my favorite definition is this one: offering with both hands.

Offering with both hands...that hits me. What would my life look like if I lived it as a constant offering, giving of everything that I have? That's a challenge for me - a big one - but whoever said that our life purposes were supposed to be easy to fulfill? I think the best ones are the ones that capture our hearts but challenge us to do really hard things for the betterment of the Lord's kingdom.

So, what would it look like to live out my life purpose? It would look like two hands covered in the dirt of the ground and the dirt of messy lives. It would look like two hands strengthened by carrying the burdens of my brothers and sisters. It would look like two hands handing out love and grace like the free gifts that they are. And it would look like two hands reaching up to meet the hands of God in praise, awe, and surrender.

It would be a picture that could encapsulate every one of the remaining definitions my name might carry. It would be a picture of selflessness. Those hands would be taking the hands of others to lead them to Christ, embracing everyday people in a message of safety and warmth, and holding broken hearts while working diligently to patch up wounds. And there would be cuts and scrapes, resulting in lasting scars...each one labeling a valuable, life-shaping memory.

It would be hard.

But doesn't that sound like an offering worth making? Doesn't that sound like a life truly worth living? One that would be blessed by the Heavenly Father?

It's a challenge I'm willing to accept.

What about you?

Now, I get it. Not all names have deep, profound meanings that motivate you to change the world or change your life. And not all people have names that really coincide with who they were designed to be. However, I challenge you to reflect upon your own name and the meaning behind it. Is that meaning a real part of you? Might it help you define a purpose? And if it doesn't, then what name would? What word or phrase do you want to truly define your life? What words would you want people to read and think, "Yup, that's him" or "This is how she lived in a nutshell"? What message is God really placing on your heart in this time of your life on earth?

Find it. Define it. And pursue it...with everything God has given you.

Welcome to the Buffer Zone

When we were kids, my brother always used to say, "You're in my buffer zone!" That was his way of telling us that we were too close for comfort and we needed to back off. Of course, the rest of us were younger siblings, so we always pushed our luck! But the whole "buffer zone" thing was a concept my family adopted and that we still use, just for fun, to this day.

On a more serious note: We all like to have our comfort zones (buffer zones, if you will) and we like to sit inside those magic little areas of safety and contentment by ourselves for as long as possible. In fact, we stay there until a needle pops it and we have to send it to the shop to get fixed or until someone stands outside it for days on end, just rubbing one little spot and a hole eventually develops, so we have no choice but to slowly exit on our own (or let that person inside the bubble, but really, who ever wants to let other people in their own little bubbles? Precious space!).

The scariest part, though, is that we aren't meant to stay trapped in these bubbles, are we? Just as God called Peter to step out of the boat and onto the water, He is calling us to do the same thing. He wants us to step out of our comfort zones and into a place where we can only survive by trusting Him.

And, get this: it doesn't just stop at us getting out of these zones and bubbles...that's only the beginning. We then have to dare to do two more things:

1. Get inside other people's bubbles.
   We have to want to poke holes and tear down walls if we are going to reach people. There has to be some effort put into it! We have to let people know that we aren't settling for whatever they are giving us on the surface; we want to know who they are at the core and all the things they are afraid to let seep out of those holes. And don't get me wrong...we have to make sure that we aren't going in with axes and baseball bats, but with soft hearts and gentle spirits that will get us invitations inside.
2. Let people inside our own bubbles.
   Oh, boy. There's a scary thought! But it's the truth. How can we expect others to open up and let us inside their buffer zones if we can't open up and let them inside ours? Besides, this isn't ONLY about their comfort; it's about ours, too. It's incredible what can happen if you allow your space to be invaded just a little bit, or allow a couple pokes.

Your mission? Break your bubble and then go help others break theirs. And most of all: step out of your comfort zone and witness the amazing work God wants to do--and will do--through you!

Find the place you fear the most and go there

On Tuesday, I got to class early when no one else was in the room and I noticed that one of the desks in the room was different from the rest: it wasn't just a boring table...instead, it had written words and pictures perfectly collaging the top. While some messages were not the most appropriate or friendly, there was one written darkly in the center that stood out over all the rest. It said "Find the place you fear the most and go there."

Sure makes one think, doesn't it? What do I fear? What places hold my fears? How challenging is it to visit these places, face these fears one-on-one, and battle something I've never even wanted to see?
And I realized that these "places" can be almost anywhere. They can (of course) be physical places, foreign countries, or even doctor's offices! You're afraid to travel via airplane? Ok, go get on an airplane and fly so far that you have no choice but to stop thinking about the fact that you're on a plane. You're afraid of the water? Go on a cruise and have fun! Alright, alright, I get it...you don't want to waste your vacation time trying to overcome a fear. Fair enough. ;) But there are smaller things you can do, and smaller fears you can tackle just by thinking about the places that scare you. Maybe churches scare you...go to a Sunday morning service somewhere. Try more than one church and see which ones make you feel most comfortable. I don't know; I'm just throwing examples out there, but everyone has their own personal scary places they are probably more ready to handle than they think!

Now, these "places" can also be mental states, feelings we don't want to confront, and pieces of the past hidden in our minds and hearts that we don't even consider revisiting. We've all been asked questions to which we answered "I just don't want to talk about it" or "It's too painful to talk about right now" or something similar. We have those memories we wish could just be erased from the past or throw into a black hole. We remember something and we just start to cry or we get mad...and then try to shove it way back down into the deepest parts of our heads again so we don't have to think about them anymore.
But what if we did?
What if we challenged ourselves to journey into those deep places of our hearts and those corners of our minds where secrets lie? What if we decided to really think about those moments and how they made us feel and even talked about them? [Just a side-note here: If you need to talk about something, I, Anjoli, am here for you with a ready ear and a willing heart] It's hard to talk about those things sometimes, I know...but it's true what people say about talking through our problems: it helps. We feel more at ease when someone else actually knows what's happening and how we feel. And it's also easier for some of them to be there for us when we are open with them. Maybe you have something even more serious in those secret spots--something you know you need to take to a professional. Is that your fear? Are you afraid of seeking help for a problem? That's not something to cause shame; that's something that should make you proud...you know how hard it is to tell yourself you need help and then to ask for it. It makes you a stronger person to be able to say "I have a problem and I need to fix it before I really get hurt."

Or maybe you're afraid to love. A lot of people get scared when they start to like someone of the opposite sex too much...and it's not usually that they are afraid of falling IN love; they're afraid of falling OUT of love; they're afraid of getting hurt...or they're afraid of something, anything (it's different for everyone), that comes with the commitment, the attachment, or the future of that relationship. You know it's a common feeling. But if this is you, I hope you know that you DESERVE love. You deserve happiness and fulfillment and, trust me, God is writing your love story...and, if you trust Him, He will fill in those blanks and give you those missing puzzle pieces. And remember: "For every girl with a broken heart, there's a boy with a glue gun." :) This goes vice versa for you guys out there, too!

I found a shirt recently that ties in with this. It said "FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real" and had the perfect verse attached to it.

2 Timothy 1:7: "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

So find your fear...and then challenge it. Go to the places that scare you. And then find out that fear has not overcome you. You have a God of power and love on your side!