Thursday, September 14, 2006

Ganglylove?

I'm used to getting either stared at, or laughed at when I let people know where to go if they want to read my blog. I gave it a lot of thought before I finally decided to use Ganglylove as my name for everybody to see. The connotations of the name in secular society brings images that cause these strange looks that I get, but there is a reason behind both the name and my choice to use it here.
If you look up gangly in the dictionary, you will see it is defined as awkwardly tall and spindly or ungracefully tall and thin. For good reason I was given the name Gangles in my high school years. I was tall, thin and probably a danger to anybody walking near me. Clumsy is probably also a good word. Ganglylove came about one day as the song Tainted Love was playing on the radio. I was sitting with a group of friends and one of them starts singing along to the song, but instead of using the correct words, the words gangly love are substituted. The name pretty much stuck. I will admit that it has been used for bad reasons in the past as young college guys will do, but as I have grown older I have felt a new meaning to this name in my life.
As Christians we are called to love God and love our neighbors first and foremost in our lives. I would like to think that I have a very loving heart and do a good job of demonstrating this first fruit of the spirit in my life. I also realize that in showing love I am still very gangly in my life. I have known some of the most graceful people in my life. They always know the perfect words to say and just how to connect to somebody who is hurting in this world. That is not me. I say awkward things at times, and I stumble over myself trying to solve problems when I should just be listening. I don't take initiative when I should, and yet sometimes I try to overpower a situation when I need to be gentle. I bring a light hearted and joyfully boisterous presence that will never be called graceful, but is still just as full as love. I'm happy and confident with the love that I show, but I'm also fine with still being that awkward and ungraceful tall and lanky kid in both body and spirit.

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