A Rose By Any Other Name...
I came down with a fever. Baby fever! There are babies everywhere, and every single one of them is cuter than the next. I know some people believe in ugly babies, but I have yet to meet one. JJ would probably like me to meet an ugly baby or at least one that acts “ugly,” so that way I might return to a more normal temperature.
Last night I couldn’t stop looking up names. JJ and I have a list of possibilities. We are still in a bit of a debate over our future son’s name, but our little girl has a name. I would tell you, but if you stole it from me I would slap you. To save myself from slapping you, you will just have to wait until the day (if that day comes) where God blesses us with a baby girl.
In my process of researching and looking up names, I discovered how hard it is to name someone. For example, I love the name Emma, but Emma has become the new “Jessica” or “Sarah.” It is literally everywhere! If I can at all help it, I would like to spare my daughter the frustration of having 5 other girls in class with her first name, especially since “Miller” is a very common last name.
There are other names I like, but I just don’t think I am hip enough to have kids with those names. A recent name I fell in love with for a boy was Sawyer, but the more I thought about saying that name every day the more it felt out of place. I just don’t see a Sawyer meshing well with a JJ and Sarah. Also, there is another problem with that particular name. JJ watched the show Lost, and said a character with that same name was a really bad guy. Isn’t it funny how we have positive/negative connotations with certain names? I’m really hoping I don’t meet a girl in Sunday School that makes me want to rethink my future girl’s name choice.
I love the name “Hailey,” but it means “hay meadow.” Not exactly inspiring. Name meanings are a big deal for me. It might be the English Literature major in me, but I do believe the act of naming is powerful. I think God does too. After all, He gave new names to Abram and Sarai to signify the covenant He made with them as well as their new given roles. There is a new song on the radio called “He Knows My Name” by Francesca Battistelli. From time to time I wonder what God’s name for me is. Is it Sarah or something else? Don’t get me wrong. Even though my name is pretty common, I still like it; yet, there is a part of me that wants a special, set-apart name. Even Jesus’s name was chosen by God the Father. When the angel Gabriel came to Mary, he told her that she would have a son and name him Jesus.
Naming is a sign of belonging. Your parents name you when you came home from the hospital, when you buy a new puppy or kitten you give him/her a name, and some people even name their homes or their cars. When we named our puppies, Buttercup and Rosie, we were showing the world that they are our little Puggles. When my parents named me Sarah, they were showing everyone that I belonged to them; that I was a member of their family. God knows our names because we belong to and with Him. Don’t just read through that sentence, and miss out on how amazing that really is. God knows you, and you are His.