Choosing a name

OK, time for the big reveal ...So a lot of weight comes with the naming of a child. I can't think of a ton of responsibilities that carry this type of lasting weight. Name choices were crossed off the list based on how they sound with our last name, people we've known who have tarnished a given name, or potential nick names that they might some day become. With a last name like Zick, we don't have the easiest of tasks.

Well, we've decided upon Jacob Edward. We're not really deep into the meanings behind names. At least we weren't. I think our first son's name, Brody (full name - Brodyn Isaiah), means muddy water or ditch digger.... something like that. We just liked the way it sounded. Jacob's definitely not the most original name. In fact, it's the least original name for a boy in America for the last few years running, but here's a bit of our thought process on the choice. Originally, I just liked the name. It has a timeless quality. It's strong, and I don't know a Jacob I don't like. Over time, as we found out about the challenge ahead, the name made more and more sense.

There's a man named Jacob in the Old Testament of the Bible. If you've ever read much about this guy, you may know that he is said to have wrestled with God. After we'd already been leaning heavily toward the name (Kira wasn't fully on board yet), I was calling my oldest brother to tell him about the fluid on the brain that had just been discovered. He prayed for us right there on the phone and asked God to use this trying time to drive us to wrestle with Him just as Jacob had wrestled with God. When we re-visited the account of Jacob in the Bible, at first it made me wonder why anyone would want to name their child after this man. The name actually means "deceiver," and if you make the time to read about him, you'll see what a jerk he could be. ...So why give our son the same first name as this guy? Well, after Jacob wrestled with God, God chose to bless him out of his grace alone. Jacob was as human as any of us in his sin and in his faults, yet God chose him out of his grace and blessed him in a huge way. God transformed Jacob's name into the name Israel, and he became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel (Yeah, kind of a big deal). It's our prayer that God, out of His grace, would choose our son as his own and bless him to have an eternal impact on the lives of others.

The middle name, Edward, is a family name. It was my grandfather's name, and it's my dad's middle name as well as the middle name of two of my brothers. Some how, I got the shaft with the middle name of Allen. My parents still can't come up with a reason why they gave me that middle name. However, I'm convinced they were stumped for a name and either saw the name on a mini-carton of milk (Allen Dairy) at the hospital or saw it on the birth certificate (Allen County). So I feel grateful that Kira let me give one our kids the middle name I never had.

...This is random, but when we first got married, we would always map out our lives together with the four names we both loved - two boy names and two girl names.... a nice even number so that no one gets left out at Cedar Point. Well, 6 years later, our tastes in names have changed, and although the "mapping" out of our family was somewhat of a joke, we've been learning a great deal lately about whose plan really matters. We're so grateful to know this truth and to have trust in God's plan for us and our family.