Each Easter I am reminded of God’s personal love when people refer to the Via Dolorosa – the way of suffering.
My name, Delores comes from this word and means many 
sorrows.
In Spanish class the kids loved to translate my name from dolor – meaning pain. I am one of those who believe in the meaning behind names and so I was sad as a kid to discover what my name meant! Yet, the meaning always gave me the feeling of a special link with Jesus, and I’d wonder why I got such a name. (My father did not like the name my mother had chosen, and when they moved while she was pregnant with me, the name Delores was scratched into the door and he said that’s a pretty name – take that!) But I thought sorrow was only a name of darkness. It is rather a Good Friday name.
The good news was discovering the meaning of my second, or middle, name – a diminutive of Faith. That truly redeemed my name. If I was going to have much sorrow in my life, God was going to provide the faith to endure it, to be more than conqueror (one who brings back evidences of victory in battle). And so He has. Who is HE?
Jesus name above all names
I’ve just come from a Good Friday service where the choir sang about Jesus’ journey down the Via Dolorosa, an artist painted a powerful illustration of Christ’s sacrifice, and a pastor challenged us all to ponder all Christ endured to provide these Easter gifts:
Before my redeeming Easter experience, I didn’t like my name. I tried to hide it, and asked friends to call me Dee. After I understood the depth of the name God had allowed me to have – that Faith followed after sorrow, I began using Delores. If God’s Word was true, God knew my name before I was created or born and that is what He calls me!
Is. 45:3 “And I will give you the treasures of darkness,
And hidden wealth of secret places,
In order that you may know that it is I,
The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.”
What’s the story behind your name?
You might find it here… Find My Name
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Stories of Faith in Action 
Impressive blog Delores. So glad to find you from AFCW. Now a follower!
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I took you up on your challenge and looked up my first name, Carrie. It turns out that Carrie is a version of Caroline which is a feminized version of Carolus which is a version of Charles. Charles means either man (nope, not me!) or warrior or army. Hmm.
My middle name is Lynn and means lake.
Okay. Not much help there.
I’ve often thought about the ways names are given in other cultures. In a lot of cultures, each person has two names. The name they are given at birth and the name they choose or earn when they enter adulthood. I don’t know what name I’d choose if allowed to do so. I’m not even sure I would change my name. I’m so used to “Carrie” that I’d have a difficult time learning something else.
Suffering is rarely an end in itself. As you noted, it’s quite often the pathway or doorway to something else. For the Christian, it can be the doorway to increased faith, a closer walk with God through Christ, and, quite often, the doorway to the life beyond.
We often get ‘caught up’ in suffering because it dominates our view. But look at David and Joseph, two men who reached great blessing for themselves and were great blessings to others AFTER they endured long periods of hardship and suffering.
I hope to some day be able to follow their examples.
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Hi, Delores, I bet you were sad to find the meaning of your name. I understand.
My name is difficult. Lynda is the english verism of the high Germanic Linda which means soft and tender. Lyndie would be a derivative of Linda if it were listed
My middle name Lois, is not listed, so I followed the trail of Louise which went to Ludwig which is fame – warrior.
Which is interesting because these conflicting meanings pretty well match my confusing results on personality tests
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