What's in a name? (As in, a blog name?)

So, for those of you who have spent any time with me in real life or online, you know that I am quite verbose. :) My husband has been known to ask me a question, only to interject minutes later with, "Fewer words, please." He is the type that only talks when he has something really important to say, so perhaps I could learn a thing or two from him! The problem is that I have a lot of things on my mind. And, being a woman, I have a lot of words to use up by the end of the day. :) Those things on my mind need some talking out, but therapy is not in the budget of a family of four living on a resident's salary, right?

Enter the free blogger account.

I know in my head how to get to where I need to be, but my heart has some catching up to do. Ever been there? Matthew 11:28-30 says...

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

As a believer, I know that I have the privilege AND responsibility of living a life in the peace that Christ has purchased for me. But I confess that there are many seasons of unrest, as I deal with the natural consequences of my past, and the daily challeges of the present. I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what those verses meant until I read what Matthew Henry had to say on the subject...

"Christ invites all to come to him for rest to their souls. He alone gives this invitation; men come to him, when, feeling their guilt and misery, and believing his love and power to help, they seek him in fervent prayer. Thus it is the duty and interest of weary and heavy-laden sinners, to come to Jesus Christ. This is the gospel call; Whoever will, let him come. All who thus come will receive rest as Christ's gift, and obtain peace and comfort in their hearts.

But in coming to him they must take his yoke, and submit to his authority. They must learn of him all things, as to their comfort and obedience. He accepts the willing servant, however imperfect the services. Here we may find rest for our souls, and here only. Nor need we fear his yoke. His commandments are holy, just, and good. It requires self-denial, and exposes to difficulties, but this is abundantly repaid, even in this world, by inward peace and joy.

It is a yoke that is lined with love. So powerful are the assistances he gives us, so suitable the encouragements, and so strong the consolations to be found in the way of duty, that we may truly say, it is a yoke of pleasantness. The way of duty is the way of rest. The truths Christ teaches are such as we may venture our souls upon. Such is the Redeemer's mercy; and why should the labouring and burdened sinner seek for rest from any other quarter?

Let us come to him daily, for deliverance from wrath and guilt, from sin and Satan, from all our cares, fears, and sorrows. But forced obedience, far from being easy and light, is a heavy burden. In vain do we draw near to Jesus with our lips, while the heart is far from him. Then come to Jesus to find rest for your souls." (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible)
The Lord, in His kindness, began teaching me a couple of years ago that the biggest burden I carried was my failure to submit to Him in the details of my life that I found the most painful, ugly and embittering. It was a GIGANTIC healing relief to me... I realized that I could stop figuring out how I would ever be able to forgive and forget and find comfort in the fact that nothing could happen to me apart from the Lord's allowing it. It was ok for me to grieve my losses, but not ok for me to be a prisoner to the why's and what if's... or to harbor such fierce anger. Afterall, "it was for freedom that I had been set free..." (Galatians 5:1)

Some days I have success with this, and some days are, well... steps in the wrong direction. One thing I know, though, is that writing has always been extremely cathartic for me, and I feel like this opportunity to pour out my thoughts will be one more way that I can sift through them in order to keep what is good and right and finally discard what is destructive and untrue.

Of course, there is a lot more to my life than sorting through the past... The sound of two precious little girls waking up from a nap now calls me away from the computer and back to all that is happy and worth smiling about. I can't wait to tell you about that part of my life. :)