It is My Name!!!

Recently I've done a lot of thinking about names. It's odd, but true. I've thought about there meanings, there importance, there orgins. All that good stuff that comes from a name. Then on Sunday it really hit me. You see, Sunday was my birthday. Yes, it's true. I celebrated my 26th birthday- don't every gasp at once : ) I was thinking about that joyous day when I was brought into this world and my parents looked at my gorgeous face and said, "Will call her....TISHONA MARIE...." As a child, that name was well....odd. It's definitely rare, if not ever heard of around these parts, but it is my name. As I got older I began to appreciate it more and more. I mean it is my name. Then do you ever have those moments when you truly realize..IT IS MY NAME!!! I began to do some research online. I was curious about the meaning of names. I began to search on baby name websites different names and there meanings. Well as you could probably have guessed..Tishona is no where to be found. But, it is my name!! This saddened me, but not too much. I then remembered another baby who was born and brought into this world. When his obedient parents looked at his gorgeous face they said, "We will call him JESUS!!!"

Wow! Isn't that fabulous : ) That is HIS NAME!! I was then reading in Isaiah 9:6, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." THOSE ARE HIS NAMES!!! Jesus has many names. These names represent all of who He is. There are many more than the scripture in Isaiah mentions. I was thinking back on this year that I have just experienced. I was thinking of the different characters that God has shown Himself to be to me. He has surely been my Counselor, my Prince of Peace, Restorer of my soul, Sanctuary, and Lover of my soul. His names are great! He is great!

This Christmas as we thank God for the birth of His son and the gift of eternal life that we have through Jesus, let us be aware of His name!! As His name is on our lips, let us praise Him for all of who He is!! Remember Acts 4:12 "SALVATION IS FOUND IN NO ONE ELSE, FOR THERE IS NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN TO MEN BY WHICH WE MUST BE SAVED."

A Girl and Her Shoes!!!

Well if there is one important fact that everyone should know it's - DON'T MESS WITH A WOMAN AND HER SHOES!!! I love shoes! I believe I have for the longest time. I remember being a little girl and wearing my fabulous "jelly" shoes- oh yes!! I know you know the ones I'm talking about- hard, plastic, brightly colored shoes that left great blisters- yes those are the ones! Now however I have moved on to big girl shoes- oh yes!! I know you know the ones I"m talking about- hard, man-made material, 3 inch heel that leave great blisters- yes those are the ones!! I got a great deal on them though. They were one sale over the Thanksgiving Holiday- buy one get one half off!!! So of course I bought the black pair and got the brown ones half off- or visa versa- either way- everyone loves a great deal!

Let me tell you about this truly remarkable deal that I have found and have came to cherish!!! The advertisement read, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 Wow! That is one deal that I'm thankful I didn't pass up!

Just as most of my divine spiritual moments arise, I was taking my shower this morning and was just praying and thinking and thanking the Lord for all He has done for me. Well in that list of things, came the gift of forgiveness! It's such a powerful word. I have been FORGIVEN!!! My sins, my mistakes, my shame, my guilt, have been erased from my life and forgotten by my Savior. That is truly a fabulous gift. I began to think of how powerful it is for a believer who has experience this forgivness to forgive others. I think begin to think of my past hurts, pain, and scars. I began to ask God to teach me to forgive just has I have been forgiven. By this point in time I was now putting my "face" on and drying my hair and doing all the rest of my morning routine. I was getting dressed and was preparing to slip into my new shoes. You remember the ones that I got a great deal on!?!

Something on the inside struck my attention- the label on the side of the shoe that has the size and all the info about its creation also listed a name of that shoe- FORGIVEN!!! Yes, it is true!!! My shoe had been named Forgiven. I was thrilled!!! I thought well isn't that just so special. Not only was my shoe names Forgiven, but so was I!!!! On the day that Christ forgave me of all my sins He named me- I am FORGIVEN!!! So I slipped my foot in the shoe- by this point I felt like Cinderella slipping her foot in the shoe from the prince! I was going to walk in my Forgiven's all day long!!!! Isn't that what we should all do? Shouldn't we all walk in His FORGIVENESS!?!