When I pray for my boys, I pray for the men they will
become. I pray that they will be men of integrity and justice. I pray that they
will fight for those who are oppressed and speak for those who have no voice.
It is this prayer that got me thinking of the name we would bestow upon our
third boy.
As we contemplated naming our third born, I gravitated toward
the name Caden. It’s Welsh/Irish meaning is “spirit of battle”. As Christians,
we know our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers of sin
and the evil one. I pray that as Caden matures, he will battle against the
powers of evil- the powers of oppression and injustice.
His middle name, Earl, is in honor of my late Grandpa. Earl
means “warrior.” When we think of “warriors” in the traditional sense, we think
of fighters- bloodied from battle, aggressive and powerful. But perhaps, there
is another way to view “warrior.” What about the man or woman who fights for
justice using their words and influence rather than brute strength? What about
the person whose care and compassion toward others is so fierce that nothing
will get in their way of showing the love of Christ toward their fellow brother
or sister? This is the kind of warrior I want to raise. A warrior for the King
of Kings.
As it happens, Caden has already proved his warrior-like
spirit. When he was born, he had trouble breathing. The doctor thought he might
have swallowed some amniotic fluid. In what felt like a deja-vu nightmare
(Justus had trouble breathing and spent 12 days in the hospital after he was
born), more and more doctors flooded our delivery room and then it was decided
to take him to the NICU. Silent tears streamed down my face as I realized what
this could mean. I pleaded to hold my baby one last time before they took him
away (pictured to the right). After they took him away, I was alone in the room- an
empty shell- no baby in my womb or my arms.
But as always, God is in control. A few minutes later our
warrior baby was rolled back into my room. Apparently, once they reached the
NICU, his breathing became regulated. The doctor and nurses were joking that he
was, indeed, a little fighter- living up to his name.
I know this is only one of many battles my son will face.
But I take comfort in knowing that God will equip him for each battle he will endure. Not only that, I pray that he will fight on the behalf of others- a
warrior for Christ.
