naming Juniper Elise.

If you've been reading along for a while, you know that we like to put a lot of thought into our kids' names.  (Maybe too much thought, I don't know.)  But a name is really the first gift you bestow upon a person, and it gets carried with them through their whole life, so it's a monumental responsibility to choose intentionally and well.  We try to imagine what we hope our kids become, who we hope they are, what we hope they embody, and give them a name that's a challenge and a blessing to grow into.

We loved the name Juniper, because the juniper tree is the one that shaded Elijah when he was being hunted by Jezebel.  The land had experienced drought for three whole years, and yet here was this tree in the desert, not only still living, but living abundantly enough to provide shade, which in turn provided comfort to a persecuted prophet that found very little comfort elsewhere.

We want Juniper to be a safe place for persecuted people, and a strong help to strong men.  We want her to grow to be the caliber of woman that stays strong enough to not only live abundantly herself, but that her strength would manifest itself in comfort and safety for God's people.

I loved how Todd put it in his own blog post about her name:

"The Juniper tree is a symbol of feminine virtue and strength: able to endure difficult days by God's grace, beautifully adorned with evergreen in a world full of tan, a place of respite from the woes of this world, nourishment and care in the form of a soft place to nap and a comforting meal to replenish. As women of God are safe havens for sound doctrine and soft places for those fighting hard battles, so is the Juniper tree and so may my daughter be by the grace of God who sustains her.

"My desire is that my daughter would be a genuine help to mighty men of God. That she would be upheld by God and given the high privilege of coming along His work and aiding His saints in their valiant efforts and finding her efforts memorialized along with theirs and inextricably part of their story."

We had a difficult time choosing a middle name to go with Juniper.  We like middle names that honor and acknowledge our extended family, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to choose a name from Todd's mom's side.  Todd's maternal grandmother, Esther Louise, was actually born on April 19, 1919, (almost) exactly one hundred years before Juniper's birth on April 15, 2019, and we were really wanting to come up with a name that referenced her, but it was difficult finding just the right fit.

We racked our brains trying to find the perfect name, but it just wasn't coming.  As we were leaving the hospital, with no name yet chosen, I told my sister that we were really struggling.  She texted back that she thought Juniper Elise was pretty (and that her hilarious husband suggested "Juniper Becky.")  I loved how well Juniper Elise flowed, and when I mentioned it to Todd, he loved it, too.

I love that it references Todd's grandma (Esther Louise; see what we did there?) and that my sister played a part in the naming process!  Elise is also a derivative of Elizabeth, an incredible woman of God.  As a mother, she provided safety and comfort to John the Baptist.  She was the kind of woman that married a prophet, bore and raised a prophet, comforted and befriended other women who were carrying the weight of greatness, and trusted God through all of it.

This is what we hope for Juniper Elise: that she would be great, and that her greatness would find its source in her ability to comfort and care for others in their arenas of greatness.  I pray her life will display great strength and great softness.

I am confident this is just the perfect name for her - she has already provided so much comfort after a drought season of so many unknowns.  She is strong when they said she would be weak.  She is rest and transformation and comfort and joy.  She is Juniper.

If you haven't already, you really should read Todd's take on her name.