How Our Blog Title Came to Be

As the idea to create a blog grew more and more on us, we tried to come up with a name that would encompass all that we wished to include in our posts. That proved to be really difficult, seeing as we want to cover a wide variety of topics! We love music, so Mom came up with the idea of drawing from hymn titles for inspiration. When she came across the song “There Is A Longing", by Anne Quigley, it really stuck out at us. It seemed to cover not so much the individual aspects of our idea, but the intent of it as a whole.

We all have this great hole in the very depth of our being, making us incomplete. No one likes to feel empty and the very emptiness we have in ourselves leaves us restless and dissatisfied. Especially in those moments when we find ourselves in a place of quiet and solitude, these feelings of discontent become more prevalent. Two things can result from this.

On the one hand, which is most often the case, we take it upon ourselves to fill this hole. When we go this route, we almost undoubtedly put our flesh in charge of the direction we will take in this task. We then end up catering to our every “need,” that is, all of the things that we fancy. We fill ourselves with every pleasure that the world has to offer, everything that society tells us we “need.” However, the degree by which a thing is wanted does not determine whether or not that thing is good. The issue with this route is that the hole is in our soul, not in our body, so what we use to fill it only digs it deeper, by carrying us farther and farther from the true remedy.

Now, the other way we can go is to acknowledge that these feelings of discontent are of the body, but are a manifestation of a longing for something more, stemming much deeper than from our worldly desires. It is a longing from within our hearts-our souls-for the fulfillment of our true calling and purpose. We were made by and for God, called to share in His blessed life, which He freely and most lovingly invites us into. His is a communion of love, a life of perfection, and in His infinite goodness, God created us to share in it. Our longing is for our Creator, our Father, our King, Who will fill us beyond overflowing. It is easy for us to interpret our purpose in such a way as to believe that we were created only to be servants and slaves to some almighty deity, but through the lens of love and truth, this is not at all the case! Would a king invite his servants into his royal court, as being of royal blood themselves? Or would a master adopt his slaves and treat them as his own children? This is exactly the kind of love our King and Master has for us, and with which He created us. He is the Divine Artist, and it was His intent to sculpt sons and daughters, not lifeless works of art. 

To put it more simply, the source of longing in our hearts is the desire to be loved with the purest and most perfect love, to share in that love and to respond to it with similarly pure and perfect love. However, we will continually be at labor for this during our lives on earth, which will prove to be a test of our faithfulness and a chance to nurture love in our hearts. A flower cannot be instantaneously in full bloom, it must first be planted and given time to grow. If we would only offer ourselves to the Divine Gardener, He will plant us in fertilized soil, containing all the nutrients necessary for healthy growth. We must also accept the droplets of water we are given, whether little or much, for He knows the amount we need for our refreshment. And lastly, we must patiently bear the insects He allows to pester us, for although they may seem to cause us much pain and discomfort, our Gardener is very wise, and knows just how helpful they will be for us in the end-it is not uncommon that these little creatures help to further fertilize and pollinate us!

Henceforth came the name for our blog. Our intention is, in a way, a response to the longing in our own hearts. It is a way to increase our own efforts of seeking Christ. We cannot deny our human nature, which makes us prone to do the opposite of what we need to do, so by writing things down and document, if you will, Christ’s work in our lives. Hopefully it will also serve as a reminder that He is always at work-even if He does so quietly-in our lives and to encourage us further. This is our main goal, and in the process, by making it public, we hope that you will be inspired to share Christ’s work in your own life with others and walk alongside us on this journey to respond to God’s universal call of discipleship.

(I think it is important here to point out that we are in no way trying to act as superiors in any way, shape, or form. If ever it appears that way, please do call us out and remind us of our place. May God keep us humble in all our doings!)