A few days after letting the boyish news sink in, Chris and I sat down to talk about it. Personally, I think so many parents “write off” having a boy as “easy” in comparison to raising girls a little prematurely. Sure, there’s less drama and shopping involved, but, in my opinion, raising boys is just as difficult as raising girls—if only for the fact that you are raising a leader of some kind to go out into the world and guide others. Talk about a huge responsibility!
The more we talked, the more we realized that we both were sort of starting from scratch when it came to raising a son. I grew up in a household over-run by women; my poor dad is just now getting to watch football on Sundays and is excused from Black Friday shopping, and Chris wasn’t raised in the church. So, when we came to the conclusion that we wanted to raise a God-fearing man with integrity and tenderness, both of us were left putting together a puzzle that didn’t come with the nifty picture at the front of the box.
So, we set out to find the picture at the front of the box—we looked for someone in our lives who we could look to when raising our son, and someone that he could look to when he was learning to be a man. We wanted this person to be a part of our son’s life—a constant model of the life we wanted for him, the life we continue to pray for him to lead. And what better way to remind him of this person than to name him after him.
About three months before Bradley was born, Chris and I decided to name our son Bradley Eric, after my dad. When we sat down and talked about who we knew that embodied Jesus’ hands and heart, along with all the other qualities we wanted our little man to behold, it wasn’t difficult to name him.
For us, naming Bradley after my dad was so much more than simply continuing a heritage, it was continuing a legacy. If you know my dad, you understand why it wasn’t a hard decision; but for those who don’t, let me tell you why.
When I was little, I remember being in awe of my daddy—he was the strongest, most powerful guy in my world, with the most loving of hearts. He had a hard job being the protector and provider for three women, but he led us with tenderness. As we pray for Bradley, we pray for his future wife and family; we pray that Bradley has the same tenderness as he acts as the covering for his family that my dad did when covering ours.
Throughout his life, my dad has held several positions of power; he’s led church congregations, shook hands with political “bigwigs,” and lunched with financial tycoons. However, he has somehow managed to always navigate his positions of power with integrity, never cutting corners or taking the “easy way out.” He’s always been willing to walk through fire in order to do the right thing, instilling in me the ideal that integrity and ethics will always trump ease and convenience. Until the day I die, I will hear him saying “be a leader, not a follower. Do what’s right, not what’s easy.” As we pray for Bradley, we pray for all of the lives that he will touch; we pray that Bradley has the same sense of integrity and ethics as he leads others that my dad had when he led.
Finally, if not most importantly, my dad loves Jesus. It’s no surprise, and it is certainly not hidden, just how passionately and fervently he seeks Christ’s heart and will for his life. Every aspect of his life is enveloped around Jesus, and for as successful as he has been in life, he never forgets where that success truly comes from. He knows he isn’t perfect; he knows the overwhelming blessing of grace. As we pray for Bradley, most importantly we pray that he knows Jesus; we pray that Bradley has the same love, passion, and desire for Christ that my dad has each and every day of his life.
The moment I watched Chris place Bradley Eric in Papa Eric’s arms, I watched a tethering. Almost as if an invisible strand had been tied between the two of them. I know it sounds crazy, but watching them, it’s almost as if Bradley knows he was named after his Papa, that he was named after one of the most tender, integrity-filled, followers of a sovereign God we know. It’s as if he knows his Papa’s legacy is the legacy we pray for in him every day. Watching the two of them melts our hearts and gives Chris and I hope—even though we don’t have the box to Bradley’s puzzle, we have a merciful God to call upon, each other to lean on, and a legacy to draw from. And it is because of those blessings that Chris and I know we can raise our little man.
No comments:
Post a Comment