The Name, it means so much

Summer and I wanted to share the names that we have picked for our baby with all of you who have been praying so faithfully for our family and our little baby. We were going to wait till we knew the baby's gender, but it would mean so much to us for our family and friends to begin calling the baby by name and to begin praying for the baby by name.

Name meanings have always been important to us. Our firstborn, Caden James, means fighter. My prayer for him would be that he would be a fighter for the faith, not with the sword of metal, but with the sword of God's Word - a spiritual warrior. James is my middle name and his grandfather's name.

Ellie Grace was our daughter's name even before we were pregnant with her. We have always loved that name and at times I have affectionately called her by her acronym - my little E.G.G.  Ellie means light and my prayer for her would be that she would live her life transparent to the One True Light of the world - Jesus Christ.  Grace, can speak for itself, but is also her aunt's middle name and her great-grandmother's name.

William (Will) Dale was known as Boy George for the first few hours of his life - until we found out that he was born on Boy George's birthday - we quickly settled on a name for him. The meaning is protector and my prayer for him has been that he would defend or protect the faith, for it is as precious as a pearl.  Dale is his grandfather's name.

This baby
The journey, and the way God has prepared us for this journey, is what helps us in naming our fourth child. We picked out these names in the first couple of weeks after October 13th.

Girl - Selah Hope George
Boy - Michael Jesse George

Selah has a double meaning for us. About a year and a half ago, somehow Summer ended up on a blog about an unborn baby with a fatal diagnosis. Please keep in mind that at this time the thought of us being pregnant again was VERY far from our minds. Yet something kept making Summer go back to this blog. I vividly remember her sharing it with me a few times, although I didn't follow the story as closely as she did. I also remember praying for this couple. If you have heard of the vocal group, Selah, then you may know this story too. One of the singers - Todd Smith and his wife, Angie, are Audrey Caroline's loving parents.  You can read Audrey's story here - http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2008/01/beginning-of-story.html

When we heard the news of our own baby with a fatal diagnosis, our minds kept racing back to Audrey's story. We just couldn't believe we were in that same place which this couple had been whom we had prayed for many months before. Someday we're going to put a post up on the blog of the many ways we feel that God has prepared us for this moment - reading Angie's blog over a year ago is on that list.

So this is one reason why we chose Selah. The other is the meaning of the name itself.  Selah is a term used frequently in the Psalms and there are various interpretations of what selah might mean, but all possible defintitions seem to point to one common factor - some type of reflection. Whether the meaning in the Psalms means a musical interlude, or a silent pause, this journey has given us a chance to pause and reflect on the sanctity, beauty, grace and preciousness of life.

Hope is based on our trust and faith in God to see us through this trial and the hope of Romans 8:18-25 through Christ.

Michael's name means, "Who is like God?". The question mark is key to understanding the rhetorical nature of this phrase. Since this journey, thoughts of Job's trials and suffering have come to our minds. Specifically, the almost one-sided conversation God had with Job in chapters 38 - 42 speaks to the uncontainable and awesome power of the Lord God.  Job's reply to God is ours, "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted."  The answer to the rhetorical question - "Who is like God?" - is that there is no one like God. He is all powerful, all knowing and always present. Yet John 3:16 shows us that He condescended to love us and to destroy death and suffering forever - which points us even more towards the fact that "there is no one like God".

The name Jesse means "God Exists".  Summer's words to the ultrasound technician on October 13th (see post) still ring true in our hearts today - our God is the same God He was on October 12th, October 13th and today. He exists. Our faith has not faltered, not because of our strength, but because of the enduring power of His presence in our lives and through His Word.

Thank you for reading this and helping us to celebrate the life of Selah Hope or Michael Jesse.