Irony

Irony… the opposite of the truth, denies the contrary of the truth.

If you know or have read my story, you know that I have almost always struggled with accepting love. This struggle has often led to a resistance to let others get close to me and sometimes makes even the simplest and sincerest of compliments hard to hear.

Today, for whatever reason, I started thinking about my name. I remember my mom telling me it meant something, but moms say stuff like that all the time. Right? So, why not look it up?

This is what I found….

Amanda is a Latin female gerundive name meaning "deserving to be loved" or "worthy of love."

What?!? Seriously?!?

Has Google been listening to my conversations?

So here it is… the irony. What I feel about my worth versus what is true can be the complete opposite. Isn’t it just like God to prove a point to us? And, in a gentle way show us that it is no surprise to him, that He has been there and has known all about it all along the way?

But also, isn’t that just like the devil to twist and corrupt things to make us have doubts and fears? The Bible reminds us that the devil is like a lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Today, actually the whole last week or so, I am reminded that we are to put on the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6). Our struggles are real and this includes the struggle of our thoughts. This is not a battle we can fight on our own. We need God.

When you are tempted to doubt, when you are tempted to fear, remember that God is with you. He has been there all along. He is patiently waiting for you to return to his arms.

God loves you.