Yesterday afternoon my family celebrated the birth of our third child, Silas Patch.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of having a baby these days (nurses, doctors, mandatory parenting videos, tests and more tests, visitors, and of course sleeplessness) I actually found a few moments to pray over our new baby boy. Of course I prayed for good health, a strong mind, and protection as any father would.
But as I thought and prayed further I concentrated on his name.
One of the meanings of Patch is rock. I prayed that he would have a rock solid faith in Christ – one that does not waver in the midst of trial, heartache or pain - as Silas will certainly face these things in his life. Then, I remembered that Silas means third. In that moment, I thought how perfect his name is as it represents what we really want for all three of our children. I prayed that Silas will be our third rock in the faith, preceded by big brother Jack and big sister McLaine.
What a meaningful little name, huh?
Well, there’s more…
Patch is the surname of a family we love, which is why we chose that as a middle name. To us, the Patch family represents redemption. Both the husband and wife have experienced extremely painful, life impacting events in their childhoods/early adulthoods. As we look at them now, we are convinced the only reason they have the life and family that is theirs is due to God’s redemption. They are one of our tangible examples of the power of Jesus to restore broken lives.
Because of the beauty of redemption that we have witnessed in the lives of children and families in Ethiopia, we know that the redemption of broken lives is important. Of course our own redemption stories propel us toward ministry allowing us to experience such miracles as Aster. It is therefore so meaningful to name our son, Silas Patch.
May his faith in Jesus one day be as firm as a rock, and his redemption story one that will impact many – maybe even in Ethiopia, who knows?