As a child I was not fond of my name. I didn’t have any alternative that I preferred but the name I was given just didn’t connect well in my mind. I remember my parents finding a tape with every song containing the name ‘Meagan’ in it. In my memory I clearly remember one particular day when I was listening to it I started to cringe inwardly so I turned it off and then hid the tape because I never wanted to hear that again.
Over the years I have grown to appreciate my name especially when it was revealed what some of the alternatives could have been. Eternally grateful my parents settled on this one.
Meagan means “Pearl” the precious jewel of the sea. A pearl is defined as being a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living oyster. They are known for their exquisite beauty and have been admired for centuries.
Recently this image of the pearl has been laid on my heart. Creating beauty out of pain resembles a likeness to the original formation of a natural pearl. An irritation like an injury or even a parasite enters the shell invading the soft oyster. As a method of healing from this hurt the mollusk creates a sealed off pearl sac to stop further harm. This precious gem could not be formed if the hurt did not happen first. Something damaging slowly is transformed into something beautiful with the end result being an exquisite pearl.
Most of my life I have struggled with the insecurities of not feeling valuable or treasured. Past hurts have deeply dug into my soft heart, leaving wounds that still need healing.
However, without my past experiences occurring in my life my ‘pearl’ would not be created. Though I was worried and felt unspoken pain from what had gone before I have not been witnessing the transformation that God was molding together. How he has been, by the power of His Holy Spirit, sealing off the past with its harms and bondages that have held me captive. Here He was taking something painful and turning it into something precious and valuable.
I know He’s not finished with me yet. This work He has started in me is a life long process of sealing off destructive elements and creating pearls. If only I could open my eyes to see this beauty He is forming in my life I would begin to understand the depth of His love and the unbelievable treasure that He sees in me.
