What's in a Name?

I have had this written since before he was born, and just realized that I never posted it!

------ Josiah Michael Wellington ------

“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did--with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” 2 Kings 23:25

As we considered a name for our son, we wanted something rich in meaning that would be a declaration for his life and our prayer for his character. Not only is it about who he will be, but it will also testify to the significance of the time and family that he is being born into. We found out that we were pregnant about a week after losing Mike’s uncle, Moe. In the midst of loss and grief, we knew the Lord had already begun creating this new life to bring about joy and new beginnings in our family. We also found out just 2 months before he would be born that his Grandma-D would be battling cancer. Again, the anticipation of his birth was a source of hope and joy in the midst of uncertainty.

We prayed long before he was conceived that God would bring a baby into our lives at His perfectly ordained time. It’s more than just the fact that we were ready for a child, but we knew this would be a life that belonged to God and would be used by Him to impact the world around him. The time into which he would be born would determine the friends he would meet, the culture he would impact and the purpose he would serve.

Josiah has several meanings: “the Lord will save,” “the Lord heals,” “the Lord will increase,” “the Lord supports,” and “fire of the Lord.” While we have no idea what course of life the Lord will take Josiah on, we do know already that the Lord is increasing our family. He is bringing healing, both physical and spiritual, to those we love. We pray for our friends and family who don’t yet personally know the saving grace and love of Christ and we know He longs to offer salvation to them. God has given health and support to Josiah already in the womb and we know we will continue to depend on His support all of our days. It is our prayer that Josiah would have a powerful impact on his world and on our family for the glory of God. Fire of the Lord refers to God’s power and His all-consuming glory. We pray that Josiah would see God actively at work in his life and that He will be a living testimony to that power to all that know him. Finally, in Biblical history, Josiah was a righteous king who sought to please the Lord in all that he did. He was committed to worshiping the One True God in the midst of a culture that hated God and was full of idol-worship. He was bold and courageous in his faith and He took a stand for truth amidst great opposition. What a tremendous namesake.

Michael, of course, has special significance as it honors both his father and his maternal grandfather. (Not to mention a great-uncle and several cousins.) Michael means “Who is like God?” and we pray that as Josiah grows, he will find that there truly is none like God and he will one day choose to entrust his life to Him.

Finally, Josiah will carry on the Wellington name, which means “from a wealthy estate.” While we would love to think that he will always be financially prosperous, we believe that more significant is the true wealth he is born into: that of a loving family, a new heritage of followers of Christ, and the wealth of spiritual blessings that God has prepared for him.