Tuesday, August 25, 2015

What's in a name?

““Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the LORD; he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.””  Numbers 27:3-4 NLT. (http://bible.com/116/num.27.3-4.nlt)

My daughter is pregnant for her fourth child. It will be our first baby boy in the family. We have all been going crazy about names. It really is a little overwhelming choosing a name. When Stephanie and I got married we made the deal I got to name the girls and she got to name the boys. We never had a son. Sometimes I think about "my name" not living on. I have even teased my daughter about naming this new child Steve. To make a long story short, they can't use Steve, it has too many letters. All their kids only have four letter names and Stev just doesn't work. 

Just when I start feeling sorry that I don't have a namesake, I realize how truly unimportant it is that my name be carried on to the next generation. My name is NOT the legacy I hope to preserve. I would much rather my kids and my grandkids carry on the torch of Jesus Christ. I don't care about their label. I care that they love Jesus and will get to join me in eternity. Nothing else matters. What good is a name? It is temporary, life with Jesus is eternal. 

I am so lucky to have daughters who love the Lord. I see their own commitment growing every day. I pray the Lord reveals himself to all my daughters, their spouses, and certainly my grandkids. I pray they will grow closer to the creator of the universe everyday. I pray he will protect them, make his presence known, and to guide them throughout their lives of decision making. I want them to pass the exact faith I have, to their own kids and they to theirs. Passing the name of Jesus from one generation to the next is what life is truly about.


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