Behind The Name

So many times over the past seven and a half months I have intended on writing a post about my pregnancy. Due to overwhelming experiences I have gone through over the entire course of my pregnancy, I failed to do so. I plan on sharing more in detail the story of my pregnancy/birth once our baby girl arrives in November. Today, however, I wanted to share the story behind the name we have chosen for her. 

Prior to discovering that we were expecting, I prayed quite specifically for our future children, and very intentionally asked the Lord for a daughter. It was such a surreal moment sitting on the doctor's table looking at our baby and hearing the sonogram tech tell us "It's a GIRL". For me, it was like the Lord was sweetly whispering to my heart "I hear you". That was such a gift for me spiritually at that time in my walk with the Lord. I needed to know my heart's desires were seen by God and that He did indeed care about those desires. 

We had both a boy name and girl name picked out prior to finding out the sex of our baby... just to be prepared. Before I was pregnant, while on Facebook, I read a story that touched me. I had liked the Christian artist Jimmy Needham's fb page, so his posts would pop up on my newsfeed periodically. Jimmy had written a post about the story behind his daughter, Lively's, name. Jimmy and his wife, Kelly, experienced a miscarriage in their first pregnancy. After going through this difficult experience, they were blessed to become pregnant again. After finding out they were going to have a girl, they chose Lively as the name to speak LIFE over her not only throughout the pregnancy but throughout her life as well. I automatically loved the name and the story behind it. When we discovered that I was pregnant, I too wanted to speak nothing but life over my baby and knew that this name just "fit" our baby girl. I have always loved the verse John 10:10 in Scripture which says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The middle name took some time to figure out, but honestly did not take much debate between Brett and I. I remember texting Brett and said, "What about Hope for a middle name?" And he simply said, "Okay." I, of course, have big dreams for our daughter and the work she will do for the Kingdom. I think "Hope" is such a big piece of the gospel and that she will indeed bring hope to those she comes in contact with. So that's our side of the story...

Yesterday, Brett got a text from his mom who shared some very interesting information about our baby girl's name that we didn't even know. While reading her Bible, she came across something incredible in 1 Peter and texted us this verse: 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..." 1 Peter 1:3 KJV

How crazy is that?! Our baby girl is certainly a gift from our Lord, but I had no idea her name was written in His Word thousands of years ago. I gotta say I teared up when I read it. Not only did the Lord hear my prayer for a daughter, but HE named her. Such wonderful confirmation of who He says she is: Lively Hope Gilpatrick. I love her name and I cannot wait to meet her. 

-Brandi