Personal Reflection on Elohim

One of my favorite parts of the book, "16 Names of God: a Strong Tower to Run to" is the personal reflections. Each of the 16 chapters in the book contains a personal reflection written by a different girl.

These personal reflections are moving! They challenge us. They are thought-provoking and we are better off having read them.

​I want to share one of these with you so that you can get just a bite-sized sample of what to expect when you read "16 Names of God."

I was touched by Heather's reflection on the name of God Elohim—Creator God. I love her transparency as she beautifully describes what it's like to have a thorn in the flesh, much like Paul in the New Testament. Heather reminds us that God created us just the way we are for a purpose and for His glory!

"​Even a casual reader of the Bible knows that the first chapter of Genesis reveals the account of Creation and all that God accomplished by simply speaking His perfect Creation into existence. Then the Fall happened, and the curse of sin rippled across the world. Since that time, every human has felt the effects in one way or another, including physical ailments or chronic issues.
 
For me, I was born with perfectly healthy eyes, but they did not stay that way for long. Well before I was two years old, I was struck with strabismus, the medical term for crossing of the eyes. While this commonly happens in children, typically under the age of three, strabismus usually strikes in only one eye. However, both of my eyes were affected, making me an even greater statistic. By the time I was two years old, my parents had taken me to Indiana University, where ophthalmologists operated on my eyes twice. After that, the doctors told my parents that I would need to go through puberty before being operated on any further. My eyes needed to further develop, they said, prior to any correction being possible.
 
I went through two more surgeries in my teens, and my eyes still were not corrected. This is a difficult thing in those formidable years. I don’t even remember anything from when I was two, but I remember everything that happened with the two surgeries as a teen. Being made fun of, called names, and mocked is hard, and those things make a person very self-conscious long after the laughter has faded away. I often asked God why I was the only one of my family to deal with such difficulties, as none of my five siblings ever had anything of this nature to go through in their lives.

I especially remember at the age of nineteen really struggling with all of it, as my eyes were still “not right,” and it was all I had known my entire life. I kept asking God, searching His Word for answers to my selfish questions. In my searching, I came across the passage in 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul asks the Lord three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh.” When God gave His answer, He included these words, “ … My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (12:9) I knew then what God’s answer was for me. He had much greater plans for me than what I was seeing at that time.
 
When I had my final surgery at age twenty-seven, I knew then that my eyes would be as they are to this day, and I’ll be forty-nine this summer. I remember hearing the Holy Spirit in my heart and mind saying to me, “This is your thorn, and My grace is still sufficient.”
        
I’ve dealt with a lot of inflammation and other issues with my eyes since that last surgery, but I’ve also seen God’s grace running through it all every time. When I have the opportunity to share with others who are struggling, I get to tell them about God’s goodness and grace to me even when I didn’t understand it all. Only eternity will truly reveal the impact God’s choice in my life has had. The Potter, Elohim, made me thus, and I am so grateful He did." —Heather

Share your personal reflection on the name of God Elohim​ in the comments.

Read more: Elohim: Creator God

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