Some people grow up knowing what they want to name their children. Others wait until the moment their baby is in their arms before the name comes to them. Once we knew "boy or girl" we went to work on what we wanted to call our little girls (though Abigail was a for sure name before we were close to having kids).
We wanted something biblical for our kids. Abigail and Sarah both fit the bill. But then it came time to look up other biblical girl names this time around, which we were able to narrow down to Naomi and Leah.
The meaning behind each name we picked was not as important in our decision-making, but I am happy with our results. Abigail means "Joy of the Father" while Sarah Elizabeth means "Princess" and "God is my oath".
What about our third front-runner, Lily? I stumbled upon the name while reading a girls name post in a message board I am part of. Suddenly it hit me, the name Lily is biblical in a way and also has great meaning.
When I found out I was pregnant with our third I was happy, of course, but also scared. Three kids? Three? But when I saw the name Lily I was soon reminded of part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:25-34 (emphasis mine)
So there you go, no need to worry. If God takes care of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field He will surely take care of us, no matter how many children He blesses us with! There is not enough time and space to go into the meaning of her middle name, Grace (which means favor or goodwill). God has blessed us more than we even realize sometimes in how He has provided for our financial, spiritual, and emotional needs.
We can't wait to meet our little Lily Grace!
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