Learning the Significance Behind My Name
A few weeks ago when a friend asked me why my parents named me Eileen, God gave me a revelation! My parents named me after a place called Elim (Elim, Eileen, sorta sounds the same I guess!), taken from Exodus 15:27. With 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees there, Elim was known to be a place of refreshment for the Israelites as they traveled through the desert place. My parents prayed that I, too, would be a source of life to those around me, and so they claimed it by naming me Eliieeeemnn.
I’ve always known where my name came from, but it wasn’t until then that everything started to make sense. Thaaaat’s why I’ve been in this desert season for so long! Thaaaaat’s why he’s been teaching me all these things about rain and springs of water. Thaaaaaat’s why he’s trapped me here to diiieee…haha jk. But seriously, I believe that really is the reason why God allowed me to go through the wilderness for such a long season- It’s because I have to claim it! In order to fully live out the calling of my name I must first experience the death, the barrenness, and then finally the birthing of new life here. Hopefully by the end of this journey I’ll be able to point others to the springs of water that God graciously provides for us in the desert place.
What’s crazier, it shed so much light on a prophetic word I received during sophomore year. The man who was praying for me basically said my four years of college would not be easy (uh huh). Instead, it would be a wrestle with God. But just as God renamed Jacob after their little match, He will rename me too! It is now my fourth year at UCLA and God really is giving me a new name!
So please, call me Elim from now on.
Rise up my fair one, my beloved
the winter is past and the spring is here
Can’t you hear, it’s the time of singing
Come away, come run with me
Hear my voice, let me take the lead
Can’t you see, it’s the time of reaping
So leave your sadness behind
Leave your sorrows behind
Leave your mourning to the night
For it’s a new day!
So here I am, here is all of me
I will rise in victory
I know it’s the time of your glory
So I’ll leave my sadness behind
I’ll leave my sorrows behind
I’ll leave my mourning to the night
For it’s a new day!
The Secret Place of Thunder
I love love loooooove it when you speak, God! You’ve been serenading me all week with the rain and thunder and I am overwhelmed with love! Truly, “the friend of the bridegroom (me, and you too!), who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.” : )
Hints of Spring
He first spoke to me through my perfume addiction (I just can’t get enough!). While Gwen and I were studying/looking through the mail, a perfume ad for Chloe by Chloe slipped out. I immediately loved the smell and kept the sample in my purse. After a week of obsessively opening my bag to smell it again and again, I decided that if I liked it that much, I should just get it! I did some research on the perfume and although it got really bad reviews (they say it smells like detergent..but what’s wrong with that?!), the ingredients got me hooked! With a rose base scent, Chloe also contains lily of the valley and cedar wood…all stuff from Song of Songs! I immediately looked up the symbolism of each one, and decided it was something I must claim! Even crazier, the name Chloe means “blooming”…yes, that’s definitely something I need for my spring season. (My friends ended up surprising me with the perfume on my birthday! THANK YOU!)
A few days later I had jury duty. I spent the first half of the day by myself, reading and journaling, and feeling pretty grown-up taking care of business in LA, all by myself! When lunchtime came around, I met a few ladies by the bus map, all trying to figure out the fastest way to the nearby shopping center. As we headed down the elevator, a middle-aged woman suggested we stick together to be safe. We ended up hanging out throughout lunch and for the rest of the day, and I even went home with her to Burbank! We planned to head back to her place, and since she had a co-workers dinner in Pasadena, she would take me there for my parents to pick up. My mom was driving and in a rush when I told her over the phone, so she agreed to the plan without asking who, what, or when! haha. The lady’s name is Pushpa, and we are now good friends! : ) While we were riding on the bus I asked about the meaning of her name. She explained that the “Push” part means “flower” in Hindi, and “Pa” means “raised”. OMG! I really believe God sent me a friend that day to encourage me.
A few days after thaaaat, Aimes and I were dropping Peter off after church. We turned into Rose Avenue, and Aimee shouted, “LOOK! God’s speaking to you, Eileen!” I looked and saw that below the Rose Avenue sign, was another sign for Sharon, the cross street (sorry, Peter..now everyone know’s where you live!). Rose of Sharon! After leaving Peter’s house we stopped at the intersection to take some pictures. And even though we only had the camera on our phones and the headlights from my car, we still snapped away and claimed it!
Spring is surely on its way and I’m excited! But in the meantime, Jesus, keep me here until we’re one.
There’s More to Come!
My season in the wilderness started a little over a year ago. While at that time I knew it was going to be a hard period in my life, I was also pretty excited to go deeper in intimacy, revelation, and all that good stuff, with my one and only Jesus Christ! I knew that it was there he would speak sweet words of love, and win my heart again and again. But it got tough fast- I went through days of bitterness, extreme sadness, confusion, surrender, and back to being bitter all over again. By the time summer came along, God really birthed a cry in my heart for rain in the wilderness. I wanted him to come and rescue me from this place. I needed him to come and make himself known.
It was then that God spoke to me about the rain. He showed me that it was in this place that I would learn to hunger for it, to be totally desperate for it, to not be able to survive without it. He would speak to me through the word, through songs, in conversations, and soon I knew I had to pray for this rain to come..physical rain! Its arrival would symbolize God’s direction, restoration, and the mark of a new season of spring! There were days I really did believe he would come, haha, and then others where I felt completely stupid for calling down rain in the 100+ degree weather. And every time it didn’t rain when I thought it would, I would forget the whole thing until he brought it up again. And he did.
During fall quarter, my drawing professor started talking about the weather, complaining about the heat, and expressing her desire for rain. She then assigned a project for the class- to create a drawing that would call forth the rain by that coming Monday! I knew this was God’s reminder to me! It never did rain that week, but God showed me in so many ways, that he would sustain me until it did come.
Rewinding back to the summer, during a worship/prayer night, I kept seeing ‘F’09′ while waiting on God. I wasn’t for sure, but it felt like God was saying my breakthrough would come during fall quarter of 2009. yes! So when it poured the very last week of my fall quarter, I knew that it was God’s sign to me. I would stand up on the rooftop with my boots and umbrella as the rain crashed down…I had to! This was for meeee!
At the start of Winter break I had a dream, and in the dream my dad told me that more rain was on its way. Even in the dream I knew that God wasn’t finished speaking. He’s coming back with the rain (not sure when!), and he has so much more to say. At onething this year they kept saying how it’s a season of rain (uh huh!). But when the first rains come, we are to pray even harder and call down more rain, because there is more! Come, Jesus! I can’t wait!!
Samuel
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The Mundane, Everyday
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday…
Every. single. day. counts.
It matters, and you don’t forget.
@ JURY DUTY.
A million thoughts are running through my mind as I sit here and wait…and hope that they don’t call my name.
1) What if I suddenly burst out singing in front of everyone? haha, they would look at me all weird.
2) Wow, Jesus really loves everyone here. He has such a big heart, but it must hurt so bad and feel so incomplete without them loving him back. No wonder he was known as a man of many sorrows.
3) My eyes are so shiap-shiap (that’s in taiwanese. I don’t know an equivalent word for it in English), and I’m really thirsty from not getting enough sleep.
4) What should I do during my lunch break from 12-1:30pm? Should I walk to the Disney Concert Hall to take pictures, find a fun restaurant, or go shopping?!
5) I should have bought that one dress from Forever 21. And I hope they have that shirt I like at another Macy’s…can’t even find it online!
6) I wonder where all these people are from? Where would they be on this nice Thursday morning/afternoon if they didn’t have to be here?
7) funky dream last night. I wonder what it means?
8 ) Wish I had my paints with me. So many ideas!
9) How come they won’t let me go on facebook here? that’s kinda unfortunate.
ok, maybe not a million. just 9.
Hey Soul, I Speak Life to You!
You have heard the desperate cry of your beloved. In the midst of darkness her voice springs forth, calling down the very source of life, crying out for the one who first marked her heart with love. Nothing less of all You are can satisfy now- there is only one thing, and only You will do.
So I speak life to you, soul. I speak LIFE! In the mighty name of Jesus Christ I break off every chain, any kind of bondage, you are free! Awaken love, awaken love, awaken love! Spring forth and cry out, for the one who saves, hears. He has heard and will respond with the coming rains. Be courageous for you are going to live! You will live, you will live, you will live!
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