Her first name, the feminine form of Joseph, is French in origin as is the name Sabin (her paternal grandmother’s maiden name). The name was revealed to Erica some time ago, but it wasn’t until she researched the meaning, “God will add”, that she began to understand why. Given the many losses we have experienced, we were frightened to accept this name as a promise from our God. This fear is the primary reason that a third child was not in our plans. He, however, is a keeper of promises and is not bound by our fear or our plans. As we prayed over Josephine this morning, I was eternally grateful that our Father chose to add to our family in keeping with His good and perfect will. To Erica, He revealed that our daughter will add more than just numbers to our family and His. She will add hands for His healing and Glory to His kingdom.
Her middle name, Everly, is derived from an old German name indicating bravery. This little girl has kicked in utero more fiercely than any of our other children, and I have the feeling the name will suit her. The name Everly honors Erica’s German heritage (our first daughter was named after Erica’s mother, which is the Irish side). The name has a few meanings, but the word “meadow” appears in most of them. I write this through tear-filled eyes as I picture our Savior charging across an open field to rescue our little girl. In the words of Lauren Daigle, “There is no distance that cannot be covered over and over.” My prayer for her is that He will rescue her into His Kingdom, that she will know the freedom that comes in Christ, and that she will be brave in receiving his love as well as sharing it.
Lastly, we have given all our kids nicknames, and hers is Posie, which is a variation of the name Josephine. A posy is a small bunch of flowers, which seems more than fitting for the beautiful little bundle that God dropped in our laps.
