What Is in a Name- The Story Behind the Name

What Is in a Name?

The Story Behind the Name

My name is Maisha. What is your name?

This is often the first question we ask children when we meet them. Long before that moment, however, names are already being considered. When a mother-to-be is pregnant, she often has several names picked out before the child even arrives.

Names Matter.

“Hi, my name is Maisha, and I am contacting you regarding…”We introduce ourselves this way every day. Throughout Scripture, names carried deep meaning. In 1 Samuel 4:21, a woman named her son Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel.” In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Names give identity and can carry memories—both good and bad. For example, when many people hear the name Benedict Arnold, they immediately think of betrayal, even if they have never studied the full history themselves.

Names Carry Meaning

Even in the beginning of creation, naming carried significance. In Genesis 2:23, Adam said of Eve: “She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

So Why Is this Important?

The name of this website is Healed & Healing.

I pondered many names for this work-in-progress space, but this name stayed with me. I wanted a name that declares the truth of Scripture:

“By His stripes we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5

At the same time, I wanted a name that also reflects another biblical reality: that sometimes healing unfolds as a process. In Luke 17:14, Jesus told the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priests, and the Scripture says:

“And as they went, they were cleansed.”— Luke 17:14

They were healed along the way. That tension between healed and healing is something I have wrestled with personally.

When Healing Is a Process

I may unintentionally step on a few toes in some faith communities when I say that healing can sometimes be instantaneous. And healing can also be a process.

I did not grow up in a church community. I did not truly begin walking with the Lord until my late teens, and even then, it was often a two-steps-forward, five-steps-back kind of relationship until my twenties.

Over the past twenty-plus years, however, I have observed and absorbed a common teaching: that healing must always be instantaneous. And if healing does not come quickly, then something must be wrong with you. Perhaps your faith is not strong enough. Perhaps you did something wrong. Perhaps you are still in sin.

Now, to be fair, there are times when issues such as unforgiveness or destructive behavior can impact our healing. Scripture speaks about those things. But what happens when someone is faithful and faith-filled?

What happens when someone is praying, believing, walking with the Lord—and healing has still not manifested in a visible or immediate way?

I have heard people say with great pride, “We don’t need Counseling. It is not Biblical. We just need Jesus. We just need the altar.”

Sometimes that statement is spoken with such certainty that if someone is still struggling, the blame is placed entirely on them: they are not praying hard enough, believing strongly enough, or surrendering fully enough.

But I am here to say—not necessarily. Healing is a complex journey. Yes, we need Jesus. And yes, I believe deeply in praying at the altar. Yet even in those sacred beliefs and spaces, the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, chooses how He heals and which road each person must walk on the path toward restoration.

Healing Involves the Whole Person

Human beings are complex. We are spirit, soul, and body. Scripture reminds us:

“May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”—1 Thessalonians 5:23

An injury to the soul can affect both the body and the spirit. Soul wounds often become layered over time. Life continues, responsibilities pile up, and we learn ways to keep moving forward. Yet beneath the surface, unresolved trauma, grief pain can remain hidden for years, quietly shaping our thoughts, emotions, and even our physical well-being—often slowing or complicating the healing process.

Because of this, common sayings like “time heals all wounds” can be misleading. Well-meaning phrases such as “just let it go and move on” or “you should be over it by now” can unintentionally create misunderstanding—and even shame—for those who are not yet healed and may still be suffering in silence or quietly masking deep pain. Healing does not always follow a timetable that others can see or understand. I will explore those ideas more fully in another blog.

While people may misunderstand the process of healing, God never does. In His wisdom, He knows exactly how each soul must be restored.

Sometimes the Lord heals instantly, and restoration and understanding follow. Other times, understanding, healing, and restoration unfold together in a process that can be slow, challenging, and deeply transforming, depending on the nature of the wound. Yet in both paths, Jehovah Rapha is present.

Healed & Healing

This is why the name Healed & Healing matters.

This space seeks to honor the truth of the Word of God while also acknowledging the reality of the human journey.

Because Scripture declares:

“By His stripes we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5

And yet many of us are also walking through a healing process that touches our spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional lives.

So again I ask: What is in a name?

For this community, Healed & Healing is a reminder that both realities can exist together while we stand on the promise of healing, while trusting and walking with Yahew through the process of healing.

Until next time-
Healing as we go — Healed & Healing