What's in a Name?

 Choosing names for our children has always been a spiritual journey for me.  I just re-read the blog posts I wrote when choosing Natalee's name (and in turn, Xavier's, since we kept the boy name we chose when pregnant with Natalee), and realized what a roller coaster it was (a fun one!). 
While Mike was set pretty firmly on Xavier for a boy, it wasn't until late November that we settled on Natalee for a girl (she was born Dec 9th).

When choosing a name, I love a name with (1) meaning and (2) unique spelling.  Middle names are family oriented for our children, a tradition we started with Natalee and will continue for all of them, Lord willing.

After choosing a name, Micheal and I choose a Bible verse/passage for the child.  The verse or passage loosely ties back to their name meaning and reminds them of our prayer for their lives.

Natalee {gift at Christmas} Cynthia {goddess of the moon}

• Natalee was born just two weeks before Christmas.  The uniqueness in the spelling of her first name is that "Lee" is my middle name.  Cynthia is my mother's first name.
• It is our prayer for Natalee that she might shine brightly for Christ, realizing she is a true gift, meant to be just as she is and that with her light she will serve Him wholly.  We loosely took "moon" and translated it to light, and, as Natalee was the first gift in the form of a child that God blessed us with, we chose her passage to be James 1: 17-18
• ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

 Xavier {new house} Micheal {who is like God?}

• We chose this name when expecting with Natalee and weren't able to let it go.  So when N was 9 months old and we discovered I was carrying a boy we already knew what he was to be called.  Xavier is a unique enough name all in it's own, especially for our sleepy town, so we didn't mess much with the spelling.  Micheal is, of course, his daddy's first name.
• We combined the meanings of Xabe's first and middle names to mean "one who builds his house with God."  It is our prayer that as Xavier grows and matures from a boy to a man to a daddy/husband with a house and family of his own, that he will keep Christ as the center of that home and be reminded to seek firs the will of Christ.  Therefore, we chose his passage to be Matthew 7:21, 24
• ²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven... ²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

So, the time has come to name Beeler baby #3.  What a fun journey it has been to again be at the forefront of praying over and choosing names for a new life.  Like last time, we love both the boy and girl name we have chosen and will likely hang on to whichever one doesn't get used this time for a "next time."  While I'm not going to divulge the actual names to you just yet, I'll tell you that some good time has been spent choosing verses for the life growing inside of me. 

Name #1:  {the work of God} + {deer park}
I know what you're thinking.  Deer park?  Remember, middle names are family and mean a great deal to us.  We didn't find a great way to tie the middle name into the chosen verse (though the song "As the Deer" keeps playing in my head) but I think the meaning of the first name with it's verse screams loud and clear the message we pray for our child.
²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”  ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” {John 6:28-29}

Name #2:  {God is my strength} + {brave power}
What a name FULL of meaning! 
So many times in the Scripture can you find that God is our strength.  After praying over choosing one for this child we came to David's song in 2 Samuel 22:2-3
He [David] said:

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
³     my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior...

So there you have it, folks.  Before they are born, we are already praying over our children.  Praying Christ into their lives and that He would equip us to do our best at instilling the things that are truly important into their little beings.

I'm curious to know...what's in a name for you?  No judgement here - I've often wished I could take the naming of my babies a little more "lightly" but for some reason it's a serious task to me!  Do you choose by letter name, by family ties, or by just what sounds nice???