What is in a Name?

"A word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself."- Patrick Rothfuss

By now, some of you have heard what we've decided to name our son. We had always been torn mightily between two options and the one we've picked (I think) is absolutely the right one. Before I tell you what it is, let me explain why we languished for so long.

Some might accuse me of being superstitious, but I believe deep within me that a name is more than a differentiation between two people standing next to one another. It identifies us- it shapes who we are. Scripture is full of instances in which God renames his people or instructs people to name others. In one instance, a man struck mute only regains his voice when he names his son as the Lord commanded. We named our daughter "Eliza" because it means "God fulfills his oath." That name has a rich story behind it- one that we intend to share with her when she is old enough to understand it and appreciate what it means. 

So, it will come as no surprise that when we discovered our son's name means "strong-willed warrior" we straightened a bit in our seats. The reasons are various and layered: part of it a recognition of family history and ancestry on both sides (another part is how fiercely he moves within my womb all day every day), but the most obvious reason is we know his battle will start as soon as he's born and when we speak his name as we hold him in our arms for the first time, it won't just be a murmured hope of who he will be but a declaration of who he is.

I hope one day when we explain to him all the reasons why we named him Liam Edmond Pratt, he will sit up in his seat just a bit straighter with the knowledge that he has become exactly who we knew him to be even before he was born.