Whenever people come to our house, they love to look at these canvases made by our amazing friend, Emily Carlson. Shortly after the question comes, “how did you guys decide to name your kids?” The truth is, we didn’t. God named our kids. And He even planned it so that they all fit together in one perfect theme.
When I was very early into my pregnancy with Eden, Nick and I were visiting my parents in Loma Linda over Christmas break. One morning, Nick took a hike in the hills and prayed that God would give us the name He had in mind for this child.
Seven months prior to this, I had graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Speech-language Pathology. Once I was done, I had this gnawing feeling that I was not supposed to pursue my Master’s degree right away. I couldn’t understand why I felt this, and because of the pressures of social norms, the pressure I felt to finish my education right away, I applied to a graduate program in Philadelphia (where we were moving next), got accepted, and started that fall. Once I started the program, however, that gnawing feeling just grew stronger. One evening I prayed and said something like this, “God! What am I going to do? I’ve already started the program and I’ve already invested so much money and time. The only way I could possibly get out of this without people thinking I’m crazy is if I somehow got pregnant!” And lo and behold, not too much later, I found out that I was indeed pregnant. Now, I didn’t trick Nick and get pregnant on purpose. I had actually been on birth control. And when we found out, I was terrified and relieved, but mostly terrified.
During my pregnancy, everyone, from close friends and family to strangers, was certain I was having a boy. I can only remember one person who thought it was a girl (way to go, Norshare!). So while Nick was hiking those hills in Loma Linda, he asked God what we should name our son. He felt impressed with the name Jeremiah, which means, “God raises up.” After that, we loved reading that famous verse from Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” When Eden was born, Nick excitedly exclaimed, “it’s a boy!” which was quickly followed by our midwife saying, “no!! It’s a girl!!!” Although we were a bit confused, we were thrilled it was a girl. We doubted whether we had heard God correctly, but it didn’t take long to figure out what name God was giving us for our precious daughter. Eden was born on 07/07 on the 7th day of the week, weighing 7 pounds. She was perfect and represented the perfect place that God had originally created for humans. My dad had the genius idea of making her middle name the Japanese version of Jeremiah, which is Eremiya. Eden Eremiya: God will raise up paradise.
After Eden was born I felt God tell me that we would have two more children, both boys. So fast-forward several months and I was pregnant with Ezra. God gave me the name Ezra Lukas: God helps by giving light. We loved that the character of Ezra in the Bible was a man who dedicated his life to studying the Scriptures, teaching it to the people, and turning their hearts back to God. Fast-forward to the spring of 2015 and Ezra had just been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. I started thinking that it would probably be a good idea to stop having kids. I was worried that something else would go wrong if we had another child. And I couldn’t imagine making Ezra a middle child on top of his challenges. But God reminded me that one more child was promised, another son. I was scared to have another child, so I literally had to act in faith that God knew what He was doing. He gave me the name Salem Ridge, from the vision John had while on a mountain, seeing the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down to the earth made new.
While I was pregnant with Salem, Nick and I had the privilege of getting free massages through our conference insurance. Our masseuse was a lady named Betty, one of the sweetest and wisest women I know. One day during a massage, I was explaining to Betty the meanings of Eden Eremiya, Ezra Lukas, and Salem Ridge. She replied, “Oh, I see! It’s the story of Redemption.” I thought for a moment about what she said because it took me by surprise. “The story of Redemption?…wait…you’re right…yes, you’re right! It is the story of Redemption! Wow!” As I thought about it more and more, the beautiful theme that God had planned through the names of our three children became clearer and clearer. Eden Eremiya represents the beautiful, perfect beginning that God planned for His children. Ezra Lukas represents the purpose of all who are followers of Jesus while we live on this earth. We are meant to study God’s Word, share it with others, and turn their hearts back to God. And Salem Ridge represents the fact that Jesus is coming back to make all things new.
I’m so grateful for how God named our kids. Their names are daily reminders for me that they are His children, not mine, and I am just a steward. A couple days ago, I came home after being gone for several hours. I went to find Salem and excitedly started calling his name. Just like usual, though, he didn’t respond. He didn’t light up at the sound of my voice or show any recognition in hearing his name. I was deeply depressed after that and couldn’t get out of it. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with worry about whether he will ever know his name, whether he will ever know who I am. He doesn’t know how to say “mama” or “dada” or any words at all. But I was reminded today that all that matters is that God knows his name. And when He returns, and calls out the name “Salem Ridge,” Salem will turn his head and know the One who has called him. I will have all of eternity to hear him call me “mama.” But for now, my priority is to make sure my kids know their Father, the One who named them, the One who will soon call them home.
Whatever is... 