A name revealed...

As some of you know, Daniel and I have been planning to name our son Joel since just a few days after finding out I was pregnant. Well, as many well intentioned plans do, things changed. This past weekend Daniel became very attached to a new name. It was my fault really and at first I really regretted it.

I had just recieved a big pile of books from a family member on pregnancy and breastfeeding, and stuck in the group was a baby name book. I was bored and picked it up while Daniel was playing video games. I looked up a few names that I was curious about the meanings and then a few of the more odd names caught my eye and I began reading them out loud to Daniel. I even found some names that I really liked that I had never thought about... but I was not in the market for a different name. I then came to THE name. I read it aloud, "Ransom", and Daniel made some comment about kinda liking it. I thought, " ya thats definitely unique", and then began flipping more pages. Later that evening Daniel says something about the more that he thought about "Ransom" the more he liked it. Come to find out, Ransom is the name of the main character in a triology written by C.S Lewis that Daniel read about a year ago. As I began to realize that Daniel was really considering this name, I started to think about all the names he could be called and began back-tracking. I then realized that the name may be just a little TOO unique, but Daniel really liked it. I decided not to really argue about it with him since we weren't sure if we were even having a boy yet and I would see if Daniel still liked it after we found out what we were having, but then began kinda talking to people about this weird name that Daniel had picked out. So anyway, on Thursday we find out we are having a boy! We are both so extatic. So I text everyone that I could think of at the time and people start responding with Congratulations and several friends use the name Ransom in their congrats. I kinda laugh, but then I began feeling Daniel out about if he is still set on this name. He is. That night I don't sleep at all. I am so excited, but also "Ransom" just keeps running through my head. I start to believe that maybe there is something to this name. I start thinking about what a ransom is and I realize that there was once a Ransom paid that saved me from myself. I am, of course, speaking of Jesus' death that saved me from my sinful nature. God then reminded me of the verse Mark 10:45, " For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." I realized that the best that I could hope for my son is that he know God, and realizes the price that was paid for him, and then be willing to lay down his life so that others might know God too. I have been praying for my child since the day I knew of him. I now choose to name him Ransom Jay Cassil as a reminder to pray, not only that he know who God is, but that he brings glory to God in his time here on earth.

Please pray for Ransom Jay Cassil. Pray for his body as it forms. Pray for his parents as they learn to be parents. Pray for the lives that Ransom will touch.