It's probably a good idea for me to explain what in the world the name of this blog means. "Hephzibah" is a Hebrew word for the phrase "my delight is in her". I've seen it used in several places, but my ultimate inspiration for choosing it as an identifier for this site is a segment from the Bible - the book Isaiah, specifically. The segment reads:
The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah (married); for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
If you read the entire 62nd chapter of Isaiah, where this segment is found, you'll notice from the context that the speaker is actually talking to and about an entire nation of people. However, I see parallels between the story of this people and the story of my own life (and the lives of others I know) that make me okay with using the word Hephzibah in the way I'm using it throughout this blog. The little nation has been through a lot. They've been conquered, exiled, enslaved. To any outsider - and, who am I kidding, to themselves - they didn't look fortunate or blessed or prosperous or however you'd want to say it. They looked deserted, haggard, and forsaken. Now, as ridiculous as this sounds, given that I am surrounded by amazing family and friends and living a relatively prosperous life in the worldly sense, I am naturally prone to feeling this same way under certain circumstances. I've been rejected and passed up by guys I've had major interest in, then felt deserted. I've watched them pursue women I thought were so much more vibrant/good-looking/put-together than I, and then felt absolutely haggard. I've had my heart broken to where I was sick, and felt forsaken not only by a man, but also by the God I claimed to love and desire above all else. It was in these dark moments, especially over the past couple of years, that I heard those words in Isaiah spoken so sweetly and personally to me the most.
Take another look at them. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God... The Lord will take delight in you... As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. My God - my Creator, the only one with the authority to dictate my worth - calls me a splendorous crown. He will and does rejoice over and celebrate me. What I look like, my "desirability factor", has nothing to do with His insane love or the blessings and good things He chooses to give. His delight is in me. His delight is in YOU. Your spirit, your essence. Nobody can take that away from us. We have got to open our eyes and hearts, and see.
That is what Hephzibah means.
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