Day 35 - A mighty name

When I was pregnant with my third baby and we found out it was a boy we had a really hard time coming up with a name. One name that I really liked was Gideon. I had just been introduced to the story of Gideon in the bible (Judges 6-7). I loved that Gideon said to God, "How can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” Here Gideon is the weakest in his family and in his community, yet God chose him to save the Israelites. I wanted a strong name for my youngest child, so that he would also know that he could do anything, even being the smallest and the youngest. I do not ever want him to feel like he lives in his brother's shadow. I love that in my notes when talking about the example of Gideon I said, "God sees in you what you don't see in yourself." Those are powerful words. God saw a great leader and servant in Gideon and Gideon obeyed in complete faith.

So when you are faced with a mountain you do not think you can climb or a sign that God wants you to accomplish something you never would have chosen for yourself, remember that God already knows that you can do it, even if you do not. We did not end up naming our son Gideon, but in my eyes the name Gideon will always be a part of his story. I know my little guy will be a mighty warrior and I will always remind him that God has big plans for him, even if he can't see them.

I hope God sees all the things in me that I am worried about right now.