Without Wax

"Sincerely His" has just come online, so this first blog will take a closer look at the name. While the following may seem unrelated, I enjoy creating things with my hands. Years ago, I worked in stained glass. I sew, knit, and sometimes make jewelry. Currently, I've added dying or painting silk to make flags.

There was a time I considered a business selling what I created. Yet while I enjoyed making a necklace, for example, I realized I wouldn’t enjoy making the same thing over and over again. Meanwhile, God was leading me deeper with Him and into new expressions of worship, one of my passions. Occasionally, I still pondered different business names, and during one of those times, God gave me “Sincerely His.” Much later, He showed me it is actually a ministry.

The Oxford English Dictionary and most scholars state that sincere is derived from the Latin sincerus meaning "clean, pure, sound." The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines sincere as "honest, pure, and true - marked by genuineness."

Popular folk etomology (history of words) says that sincere comes from the Latin sine (without) and cere (wax). The story goes on to explain that dishonest sculptors would cover flaws in their work with wax to deceive the viewer, saying it was “sincere.” However, just put the sculpture in the hot sun and that claim was proven false! Whether this version contains any truth or is just a fun story, at least the dictionary's definitions are still correct.

So on one hand, the name "Sincerely His" conveys to whom this ministry belongs. It is God's, and He has chosen to entrust it to me. From another point of view, it can also be taken as whose I am. Song of Solomon 6:3 reads in part, "I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. . .”

It's vital we spend time in the Word, prayer, and God's presence so we begin to take on His characteristics and display His heart to the world. I may not be fully "there" yet, but I for one desire that my relationship with Him be "honest, true and marked by genuineness."

I want to be sincerely His ~ how about you?