What's in a name?

So, I'm terrible at naming people. I, personally, think we ended up with some really great baby names for our girls, but it wasn't easy. Even when they just kind of came to me and I absolutely loved them, I was terrified to seal the final say on it. A name is so much of who a person is...and did I really want a child to be London Grace or Story Elizabeth forever? What if they hated it? Would they thank me later for them, or pretend their name is something more cute and fun...(I was always tiffany while pretending, but that had more to do with a friend being named Tiffany :))

The first names are just names I liked. London I thought was pretty and can you imagine her with any other name now? Story was the same. I'm an English major and story has always been a word that has so much more meaning than just words strung together. Their middle names, however, were different. Grace. A word that gives hope. A transcending hope that wipes away tears and gives a heartbeat back to a heart that was dead inside and empty. Elizabeth. A woman of God. Remembered by God in old age, just as Sarah. Chosen to carry the baby that would grow up and announce the coming of the Messiah! The mother and nurturer of the one that made the paths clear for the Rescuer of the world. The One that would bring Grace. Elizabeth was the one that housed a terrified young girl that came to her at a time when her world was flipped upside down when she was chosen as the mother of our Lord and was carrying within her Hope. Elizabeth was a friend and mentor.

Our girls are quite different, as is to be expected. Earlier, Story was running from one destructive activity to the next and after the billionth time of telling her "no." I asked her if we should change her middle name to it, but I was stopped mid-sentence. No, we should not. I do not want my child to grow up and become that. I want her to grow and become Elizabeth. I want her to focus on helping others and have a joy in the Lord that only comes from something deep and personal with Him. Grace. I don't want London to find her identity in clothes and sparkly things. I want her to be a woman that can barely contain her joy and love for others because she lives with the knowledge that she's given Grace. I want her to be forgiven, but to forgive others. I want those things for both of them, and I want them to grow up friends that will sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron. I'm grateful for that constant reminder of my end goal on days where I cover cut wall stickers with packing tape to keep fingers away or wash the same dishes a billion times. THIS is why it stresses me out to name people! It's not about now, it's not even completely about later. It's about the in between.

And do note, this is not a pregnancy announcement. Just sharing about today's thoughts...somehow, if I mention anything about children, at least one person will ALWAYS think I'm pregnant, but I'm not ;) lol