Names

I have changed my internet provider and naturally had to change my e-mail addess. It was more difficult than when I first got one back in the 1990's. More Amys in the world, I suppose. My new one is amyb_love@att.net  That is amyb with an underline and then love and at att.net.

After it was set I looked at it with joy because it says "Amy be Love." But immediately I thought of all the times Amy does not be Love but be's something else like irritated, impatient, or offended. However I'm keeping the name and hope to grow into it completely. I learned long ago that a name means the nature of something.

I recently saw some of my cousins for the first time in over 50 years. Their first question was why I changed my name from the one I had for 39 years. And I told them.

First, my parents were expecting a boy and didn't have a girl name picked out so it was a month before my name was submitted to the authorities. I've wondered if during that month I chose one for myself.

Second the person I was excelled in failure of all kind. My two athletic parents were horrified at the clumsiness I exhibited at a very young age - and kept!
 
My name was the same as a movie star who was a sex symbol and in 6th grade, the boys would roll their eyes and say "Woo hoo!" when they said my name.

Me with that old name failed in almost every area of life. One night when I was in my mid-40's, I dreamed that God said "I have given you a new name." I was excited and asked what it was but heard only silence. The next night I went to a ladies weekly prayer group and one woman said "I had a strange dream about you last night. You were preaching and saying, "I am Amy." I couldn't imagine myself preaching but was thrilled at the new name. When I got home I looked up the meeting and it means "Beloved." Yay! Four years later I changed it legally.

My cousins understood -they all had a few self-image issues themselves. Don't we all?

The new e-mail address gives me a constant challenge to remember not just to be loved but to love others as I am loved. GOD IS LOVE - that is His nature and it is our new  nature also.

I'm determined to live it out and I hope you are too!

Please use the above e-mail address to contact me since I haven't yet learned how to change the automatic website information. I said yet because I am more confident these days :-)!

God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. I John 4:16