There's a lot in a name... and we had many names that we had tossed around and threw on potential lists when we were waiting. I would never commit to one tho. I wanted to see him, I wanted to feel it was right... and sure enough the day that we were matched with our son all of the names that I had on my list went right out the window and we were back to the drawing board. This sweet little face didn't fit any of the names we had tossed around.
There were so many things to take into consideration. He was almost two, so we wanted to find a name at least a little similar sounding to what he was being called now. And we wanted to keep his given name as his middle name. Not many American names sound like "yeabsera" so we decided to at least look at names that ended in an "ah" sound. For days a few different names sat on our list and then we decided to go through a list of Ethiopian names and see if anything clicked. And it just jumped out "Noah". That was it. Brian was also almost instantly set that it was "the name". It was right, it was him.. He would be Noah Yeabsera.
I've been sitting with this name for a couple months now, and I am realizing more and more how exactly perfectly fitting it is. The story of Noah has so many connections to the adoption journey in general, but even more specifically ours. Noah was told by God to do something... build an ark for a flood that no one could predict was coming. Like our own journey, I'm sure there were some people who probably admired his faith, but there were probably also a great many walking by Noah in the town thinking he was a little crazy :) And then the flood comes, and he does as he is told and floats for 40 days and 40 nights with no land in sight. In scripture, 40 is the period of testing.... the flood ensued for 40 days, Jesus was in the dessert for 40 days, Moses was in the desert for 40 years etc. etc.. I'm sure, much like adoption, there were times out on his ark that Noah felt he couldn't stand it anymore, wondered if maybe he wouldn't make it and yet kept reminding himself of what God promised. When reflecting on how I felt this confirmation with the name Noah and the connections with the story... I couldn't help it... I had to count. And our period of "waiting"... or period of "testing" from the day our dossier papers went to Ethiopia to the day we accepted Noah's referral..... yep, 40 WEEKS!! Can God be any more in the details??? And oh MY was it a period of testing! But just like Noah and the great flood..... we will walk out with a rainbow of covenant promise, just as He promised :)
I've been sitting with this name for a couple months now, and I am realizing more and more how exactly perfectly fitting it is. The story of Noah has so many connections to the adoption journey in general, but even more specifically ours. Noah was told by God to do something... build an ark for a flood that no one could predict was coming. Like our own journey, I'm sure there were some people who probably admired his faith, but there were probably also a great many walking by Noah in the town thinking he was a little crazy :) And then the flood comes, and he does as he is told and floats for 40 days and 40 nights with no land in sight. In scripture, 40 is the period of testing.... the flood ensued for 40 days, Jesus was in the dessert for 40 days, Moses was in the desert for 40 years etc. etc.. I'm sure, much like adoption, there were times out on his ark that Noah felt he couldn't stand it anymore, wondered if maybe he wouldn't make it and yet kept reminding himself of what God promised. When reflecting on how I felt this confirmation with the name Noah and the connections with the story... I couldn't help it... I had to count. And our period of "waiting"... or period of "testing" from the day our dossier papers went to Ethiopia to the day we accepted Noah's referral..... yep, 40 WEEKS!! Can God be any more in the details??? And oh MY was it a period of testing! But just like Noah and the great flood..... we will walk out with a rainbow of covenant promise, just as He promised :)
Ha! that is awesome! Noah is a fantastic name :) It has been on our list for each of our kids!
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