So son....weird to be able to call you that now. we went to the imaging center about a week and a half ago and had the in depth ultra sound taken. I guess you could say your first photo shoot. It was really interesting to me how quickly after that appointment that the devil started trying to mess with my mind. I was so happy to hear that you were my first son, and then all these crazy thoughts started popping up about "now that i let myself get excited about meeting you and all the fun things that we'll do together, now something bad will happen". Which is a bunch of trash. SO what i decided to do was start praying for you. I sent out an email to a bunch of dads in the church to see if they had scriptures that they prayed over their kids, and interestingly, no one really got back to me. Two lessons i learned: 1. when worry, doubt or fear tries to pop up and mess with your mind, go to the word, it is the unshakeable foundation that i have built my life on, and so far, its never failed me. 2. A man has to take responsibility for himself, his faith and his family, because no one else will do it for you. Which led me to make up my own list.
Its actually pretty cool, just a page full of scriptures, blessings, prayers that i want to speak over you. There is so much that i want to teach you, to show you about the world, to equip you for battle and victory in life. This dad thing is really pretty interesting. I'm terrified and excited all at once. I know that i'm going to mess up at some point, but i'm praying that our bond will be strong enough to deal with it.
So that brings me to your name. Family is a big deal for both your mom and I, and so we wanted to pay homage to our families but also to give you a name that incapsulates our wishes and prayers for you. I'm passing on my middle name to you.
Carroll: it means champion, one who overcomes difficulties and stands up for the weak and weary. It is my middle name, passed down from my dad, who was named after his uncle. It goes way back, and it binds us together with the strength of our heritage. It is also your grandpa kevin's middle name, though he spells it differently.
John: So it seems pretty common, pretty normal and it is, which is why we picked it. With two pretty uncommon names, we wanted to give you options, something you could use if you were ever embarrassed or just wanted to blend in. John was also my uncle's name, my mom's brother who i never got to meet because he died when he was 20. Uncle John was by all accounts a bigtime stud. An athlete, great skier, popular, did his share of partying, but genuinely loved God. After losing his arm and most of his hair to cancer, John would throw on a wig and go to the mall and tell people about Jesus. He wouldn't let life stop him from doing what God called him to do.
Bear: Before i even knew your mom was pregnant, i thought i wanted to name a son Bear. It has a wild untamed feel to it. My whole life i have loved nature, i've connected to God through nature, and i didn't think you'd appreciate being named Sunset...you're also sort of named after Bear Grylls, an adventurer that has become a personal hero of mine. I'm sure i'll tell you all about him as you get older. My heart for you is that you would love adventure. That you would walk in wisdom of course, but that fear would not factor in to the way you live your life. I know that failure happens, i've experienced some myself, and that's ok, as long as you leave it on the field, as long as you don't stay on the sidelines. So I chose a name for you that would start you on that path. Dream, Explore, Try, Fail if you must, but always try. Boats are safe in harbor, but boats are made for sailing.
Love you bud
Dad
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