One Month

I have been meaning to write something with this post for a week. Somehow blogging is not high on the priority list. :-) But I have officially decided that I love being the mother of two children and that planning ahead is the key to success right now. Well . . . maybe not success . . . just the key to not sinking into insanity. I have had to say goodbye to the days of blonde, "fly by the seat of my pants" immaturity and actually think. And plan. My mother's lectures have born fruit - maybe. These days are so good for me and are over flowing with joy.

I have wanted to record the story behind Charis' name for a long while now. I do not want to forget any detail of what the Lord did . . .

My mom heard that I liked the name "Grace" for a girl and she came across "Charis" - the Greek word for grace. She wrote me a quick note with the name and pronunciation. I didn't like it. Seemed too weird to me and I thought for sure Luke wouldn't go for it. He liked it right off.

After my mom's note I kept running across this crazy name in Bible studies that I was doing. Luke came across it in something he was reading with Scripture one morning. It made us pause to think about it. I let myself consider it even though it wasn't on my "list." It grew on me.

Luke has prayed about the names that we choose for our children from the beginning. We talked about how we wanted everything to be pleasing to Him . . . even the little things. I didn't mind giving Him that area but it was out of my comfort zone a little. Like how was He going to tell me what to name my child?

This all happened when I was pregnant with Ezekiel and we felt rather sure that Charis was the name He had for us when we had a girl. God's grace seemed to be the theme of everything that He was teaching us. It was neat to see God bring the pieces together and confirm this to us.

But the middle name?

I remember sitting in the front lobby of Olive Garden, waiting for a table. Luke and I had been driving back from a Christian conference up north and I had thoughts swarming my mind on everything that I had heard. The simplicity of the gospel had been renewed in my mind; particularly the fact that I was in bondage because of sin but Christ had been my redeemer and set me free. I was thinking back to the old testament and the year of Jubilee. In the Hebrew culture, after every seven years, the debts were forgiven completely. Those who were enslaved because of their debt were set free. Grace. Freedom. I loved the truth of it. I loved that it was weaved all throughout Scripture from beginning to end. I liked how the two names sounded together.

I broke the silence between Luke and I as we waited that afternoon. "What do you think about 'Jubilee' for a middle name?" I was a little disappointed with the, "Um . . . doesn't do a lot for me." Hmm! But he asked for my thoughts behind it and said he would think about it.

So 'Zekiel was born and his name is another story all together - but there was no need to decide on the middle name issue for a girl.

After we found out that Charis was a girl Luke started praying about the middle name again. He asked for clear direction. I got scared again. You would think I would learn!! But no. My thoughts went, "How does God give us clear direction on a middle name??" Seems far fetched. Time is ticking. Let's just figure this out ourselves and be decisive for once. (I could just see this child being nameless for a week like Ezekiel had been). So glad that I am married to someone more patient than I. :-)

Two weeks later Luke and I were at Bible study - listening to a lecture. Toward the end, the lecturer asked us to turn to Leviticus 25 in our Bibles. His excitement and passion grew as he told us that he was going to show us the beautiful analogy between God's undeserved grace in our lives in accordance to salvation and the year of Jubilee that is explained in the Old Testament.

I was grinning. Totally amazed at God. It seemed clear to us. He had given us a name and confirmed it. Charis Jubilee. He has saved us and set us free. How earnestly we desire that she may know and believe and be persuaded of this truth.

I am falling in love with this name more and more. Strangers ask about her name because it is in the "unusual" category. :-) I feel amazed as I realize that God has arranged this all and people are asking me to explain the gospel to them without knowing it. Haha. :-) How great is our God?

Now we'll see . . . if I find myself pregnant again . . . if I will be any quicker to trust the Lord. :-)