the story of one sweet name.

I for sure had my doubts about what to name our son. It really stressed me out that he would have this name for the rest of his life, and that the decision was up to me & my husband. Talk about pressure. And I don't like pressure. But obviously, we did decide. And to be honest, even though we told you we were going to wait until we saw him... I knew.

I just knew, even if I didn't want to admit it. I knew his name. And then one morning (8/17/10), I was spending time with Jesus and I was taken to this passage: Isaiah 43.

Here are just a few of the verses that stood out to me: (1-5) But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. (emphasis mine)

It is impossible that our little guy is finally here without the Lord being a part of every piece of the puzzle- there are just too many things that can go wrong in this whole process. God is his creator, the One who formed him in my womb. And this (Isaiah 43) is our prayer for him; that our God, Jesus Christ, would be Westin's only Saviour- that he wouldn't look to anything or anyone else. That one day Westin will choose to respond to the loving call from his Creator.

Westin means "from the west". We pray that God will gather Westin in His arms as He longs to do with all His children, as Isaiah 43 talks about.

Westin's middle name, Alan, is named after my dad, Greg Alan House, who passed away from cancer in 1997. Alan means "rock", and that's exactly what my dad was. He was one who's faith could not be shaken because his foundation was on the Rock, Jesus.

{ Welcome Westin Alan Ebsen. You are precious in my eyes, and I love you }