I love names.

Really, ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you: I name everything.

Snowbear the polar bear, Tetsi the brown bear, King Louis the small bear, Mr. Bingley the monkey, Ipodicus the iPod, Mika the MacBook, Ruby Grayce the Honda Odyssey, Ivy Pearl the Honda CRV...and on and on and on. (Did I mention that we just bought a new dishwasher? I'm thinking either Victoria or Silva...)

Why do I love names so much? I don't really know. I think it's just something I notice about people (and objects) right off the bat. To me, a name isn't just a label. It's a whole personality. For example, let's look at my name:

Riley Joy.

Hmm. Sounds loud. Maybe bold? And the joyful part isn't too hard to figure out.

Bam. Right on target. My name means "valiant" and of course "joyful".

I LOVE my name. Really, I do. I can't thank my parents enough for giving me these beautiful words that describe me. But ultimately, I thank God, who had these names picked out for me an eternity ago. Now that's a humbling thought...

So what does any of this have to do with anything? (By the way, you will quickly learn that I ramble quite a bit, so I probably won't ever get to the point until a page or two down. You've been warned.)

Well, I wanted to tell you about the name of this blog: Wandering Heart.

The description kind of gives it away, but after about a week of thinking and testing and scrapping names, I finally stumbled on the answer while in church.

Lately, "Come Thou Fount" has really just cemented itself as my favorite song. A simple melody with simple words. But oh, what a powerful message! It's a combination of praise, adoration, thankfulness, and confession.

I especially love the third verse:

"Oh to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be.
Let Thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above."

Isn't this what our prayer should be every day? Acknowledging the fact that no matter how hard we try, our sinful hearts still wander away from His presence?

When I vow to have a good attitude at work, then grumble in front of my coworkers.
When I try to be kind to my siblings, then snap because of a petty argument.
When I promise to be diligent in school, then fall prey to laziness.

Thank goodness for His grace. Let HIS goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Him. Grace for today, grace for tomorrow, and grace for every day after that!

"Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise."

So. That is why this lovely little blog has been christened Wandering Heart. As part of my feeble attempt at "songs of loudest praise." Thanks for joining me on the journey. :)

~ Riley