“…And her name must mean song”

I remember the day like it was yesterday.  It was cold and rainy, the middle of winter, and my mind was wondering.  Thinking how great it would be to have a little girl that would play dress up with Kaleah.  She would be her sidekick the way Fletcher and Khoen are to each other. 

In that moment the name came to me.  It came to me the way a memory comes to you after you smell something familiar.  It was so easy, so natural and so perfect.  I was going to name my next daughter Lynnlee. 

The name comes after the 2 most important women in my life; my mother and my sister. 

Lynn for my sister, who so honorably saves the lives of hundreds of babies a year.  Who has sacrificed so much to help those who have no chance at life.   Not to mention she has been MY sidekick for as long as I can remember. 

Lee for my mother, who is a spiritual pillar of wisdom and prayer.  I know very few women who walk with the Lord the way she does. 

I felt proud of this namesake.  To pass down the legend of 2 women I think the world of. 

On a hot dry day in June we realized that the possibility of another little girl had became a reality; the miracle of life that comes from love unending. 

From the beginning she had to be strong, from the beginning she had to trust in the Lord.  Perfect for the name I had for her; Lynn~ my strong sister that faces death everyday and defies it when the Lord grants.  Lee~ for my mother that trusts in the pillar of the Lord and prays without ceasing. 

Death chased this little girl through more than half of the pregnancy and the living God granted her life.  Over 1,000 people prayed for her on a regular basis.

We found out we were having a girl (I know sorry), which we have never done before.  We had already been calling her Lynnlee.  My sister was coming to visit 10 days before she was due and I thought this would be perfec.t.  After all, isn’t the 4^th supposed to be early? The doctors had thought with all the complications she would come early.  I could actually present her to my sister and honor her with the name. 

But…

The Lord had other plans.  Not only did she not arrive while my sister was here but then only a few days before she was due to be here, God came to me in a dream. 

He spoke to me in the dream and said “You must not name her Lynnlee.  Her name must mean song.”  Then I saw the name and He spoke it over me.  I woke up a bit frazzled and the name vanished from my mind.  Just like that it was gone, all but the first 2 letters: S O.  I have no idea what the protocol is in having dreams from the Lord.  It has never happened to me before.  I desperately tried to go back to sleep and I asked the Lord to give me the dream again.  After all, this seemed very important to Him.  But, the dream never came back. 

I told Troy about the dream the next day and we spent days praying for confirmation and leading from the Lord. 

Although I couldn’t remember the exact name God had said there were 2 things I did remember.  He was VERY specific that her name should NOT be Lynnlee and that it MUST mean song.  I did see the name and I remembered that the name began with the letters S O. 

I have to admit it took me a few days to fully surrender my heart.  I knew it had been God that spoke to me.  But I also just really loved the name Lynnlee.  In the end I knew that I had 2 options.  I could obey the living God that comes to petty servants like me in a dream, or, I could shrug off the dream and call it just another dream in order to continue on with one of my own dreams.  Passing down a namesake.  I chose to obey, because in the end I would rather my daughter know that her mommy trusted and obeyed God rather than pursue her own desires. 

I began to stress (just a little) not knowing what we were going to be naming our baby only 4 days before she was here.  I didn’t know why this was so important to God.  Why did He care so much what her name was and why would it be so important that her name mean song?  It didn’t make sense to me.  Granted all of our kids’ names hold deep meaning.  Khoen Lamech, the priest that weeps for his people.  Fletcher Townsend, one that thinks deeply over life and is named after Walt Townsend, Troy’s mentor. Kaleah Pearl, beauty of our God often comes through the refining of great pain. 

I spent days talking to the Lord about this and He brought a picture to my mind.  In heaven there are angels and elders singing.  Constantly.  Singing.  Praise is very close to Gods heart.  I think that is information I have always taken for granted.  I have seen it a number of times in the bible.  We sing religiously in church.  However, I had yet to think of how this makes God feel. 

He had intervened so many times in this little baby’s life and I had not even laid eyes on her yet.  He had granted miracles on her behalf.  And was drawing numerous people to Himself through prayer in desire to communicate with His people and be in deep fellowship over a life that had only barley begun.

THESE are grounds for singing.  

So Troy and I began looking for names that meant song and possibly start with SO. 

We found it. 

Sora.  Meaning songbird. 

Sophia.  Meaning Wisdom.

It didn’t hit me like I thought it was going to.  I wasn’t so enthralled by it the first time I read it.  It didn’t roll off my tongue or make my ears perk the way other names do.  I have to admit I wasn’t sold on it at first.  I needed to pray.

I laid awake many nights praying about this name for her and one night it was there.  The reason.   She is to be one that sings the song of her God; the song of praise, the song of life, the song of redemption, the song of wisdom.   And I’ll tell you what does enthrall me, My God.  What does roll off my tongue, His Names.  There is nothing that makes my ears perk like the sound of His voice.  For this reason I committed to naming my daughter Sora Sophia. 

She shall be my little songbird and together we will sing unto the Lord, forever and ever.