My Process Of Choosing A Blog Name
What’s With The Name?
Since starting this blog, I've often been asked why I chose the name, Cups to Crowns. Since it was such a pivotal moment in my life I thought I would share it with you. Besides, I believe when someone is a new believer, it helps to see how God walks others through decisions.
My prayer with this post is that as you have a birds-eye view of this time in my life that you will be encouraged and reassured when it comes to decisions you must make in your own life.
NEW BEGINNINGS
As God was gently coaxing me towards starting a blog, I almost quit before I began. I simply could not decide on a name or settle on a blog purpose.
For Additional Reading: God desires to do a new thing in your life.
I made list after list but could not decide. Nothing felt right. Finally, I decided to ask God since it was his blog.
I can honestly tell you that when God impressed the blog name and its purpose in my spirit, I didn't want it. I asked Him for something better…something cute and catchy.
THANKS, BUT NO THANKS
Have you ever found yourself in a position to ask God for a blessing and when he graciously blessed you your instant response was, "Thanks, but no. I'm waiting for something better than that!"?
Yeah, not my finest moment either.
Not knowing what else to do and not willing to submit yet, I went on a biblical journey with a lot of digging, thinking, and journaling.
ASK WITHOUT A DOUBLE MIND
Because I was ignoring the nudges of God, I was incredibly double-minded. I didn't change my mind every day, it was more like every hour.
After weeks of this craziness and not knowing what else to do, I decided to enter into a time of fasting specifically about the blog name and purpose. I needed God to speak to me, to help my unbelief, and to open my ears to hear his voice above all others.
For Additional Reading: My fasting testimony
During that fast, I was reading the Bible and two verses snagged my attention. They would not leave my thoughts.
"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8 KJV)
"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." (Psalm 23:5 KJV)
IF YOU COULD ONLY IMAGINE
During that fast, a picture came into my mind that I know was a God-thing.
Imagine going to Jesus' home, sitting at his table to enjoy a meal and conversation as all your enemies crowd the wall space looking on in jealousy, bitterly angry at your very existence.
Can you feel their burning hatred boring into you? (Don't worry. As much as they try to convince you otherwise, they cannot come near you as long as you stay close to Jesus.)
Think of their astonishing horror and outrage as the Lord Jesus Christ anoints you with heavenly oil, welcoming you to his family, and proclaiming your cup shall overflow with his blessings!
And because it is “not to me only but unto all”, we ALL have the opportunity to sit at the table with Jesus! Isn’t that amazingly beautiful?
CUPS
God can fill our cup with suffering and difficulties but also blessings and favor. On the one hand, our cup was a symbol of his purpose and plan for our life. On the other hand, we are a cup that the Holy Spirit pours into.
Our cup of purpose can only be filled by God as he knows exactly what we need when we need it.
God isn't impressed when we spit polish our outside with temporal things to impress others while ignoring the inside (our character, thought life, the state of our soul).
Jesus said it this way:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but within they are full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self-indulgence.
You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may be clean also.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men's bones and everything impure.
Just so, you also outwardly seem to people to be just and upright but inside you are full of pretense and lawlessness and iniquity."
(Matthew 23:25-28 AMP)
Ouch! How many times have we been blind hypocrites spending time and money on our outside and neglecting things on the inside that money can't fix...like our godly character? I know that I am guilty!
God gives each of us our cup and it is as individual as we are. We can’t hand off the cup or walk away if we desire to please our father and one day join him. While on earth, even Jesus had a cup that he needed to drink from.
“But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18:11)
CROWNS
If we drink from our cup and do all that God has requested of us, one day we will receive our reward, our crown. This will not happen on earth but in heaven.
“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return.
And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8 NLT)
A crown is not something Father God randomly hands out just because we were good little children and attended church each week or because we gave our extra coat away. Those are good things of course, but God sees the whole picture at once. He decides who gets a crown and which crown they get. You can’t work your way to a crown and you can’t buy a crown.
“God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12
THE PURPOSE
This next part of the Cups to Crowns name might seem insignificant to you; it did to me.
I kept wondering, why "cups to crowns" and not "cups and crowns"? Did it truly matter? Turns out it mattered to God.
With that one tiny word, he showed me the purpose of the blog. I just didn't realize it at first.
As Christians, we are called to be transformed from our old ways to our new, godly ways. Meaning that we must learn to handle trials and tribulations as well as victories and blessings (our cup) in a godly way so that God can use it to grow us (James 1:2-4) and one day bless us with an eternal crown.
Yet, everywhere I looked I wasn’t seeing Christian sisters going through trials with a transformed mind but with their old, fleshly mind. It hurt me that they were turning to the world instead of their Bibles or Christian sisters. And suddenly I knew that if I would be obedient in this, God would use Cups to Crowns to stretch and grow Christian women in the renewing of their minds. Then, as their life is transformed, they could bless and minister to other Christian women in the same way.
Remember that I was journaling this whole process? Before I realized the impact of it, I had written, "Cups to crowns. You can’t put the cart before the horse or the crown before the cup. God does everything in order, and isn’t the author of confusion." It makes me laugh now as I look back at that journal entry.
"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), (fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs),
but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude),
so that you may prove (for yourselves) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you)."
(Romans 1:2-2 AMP)
God wasn’t done blessing me with these revelations.
As I was writing the name of the blog in my journal, I noticed that the "t" looked like a cross. At the moment of that revelation, I heard Holy Spirit gently remind me that Jesus died for our sins. He made it possible for us to go from cups on earth to crowns in heaven! What a beautiful reminder every time I see the name of the blog!
Isn't it so neat the way God doesn't leave even the smallest detail to chance?
If it had been up to me I would have chosen a different name. By doing so I would have cut off God’s blessing and not allowed Him to use me.
FINAL THOUGHTS
And that, friends, is what cups to crowns is all about...with the grace and mercy of Jesus, the cup you are given transforms your life to be more Christ-like until the day you hear: “Well done my good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21) as he places your crown upon your head.
So what cup has Father God placed before you? Whatever your cup, whatever your purpose, drink of it, and have faith that your reward will come.
By the way, do you know what else I learned through this process? Sometimes when we ask for something better, God just smiles because he knows he has already given us what is BEST (Matthew 7:11).
YOUR TURN
Has God been pointing you in one direction that you have been resisting? What do you think He could do through you if you would submit your will to His?