It took us a long time to decide on a name for Baby Hutcheson #3. Drew was so busy during my pregnancy with job hunting and then starting his new job that we hardly had any time to discuss names! Then there was the fact that we didn't know if the baby was a boy or a girl which made it hard to decide on a name and start calling baby by it. We had an especially hard time finding a girls name that we liked. There are so many boys names that we love but very few girls names. Eloise was about the only one we absolutely loved.
Until we came across the name Olive. I've never been more sure about the name of one of my kids than I was/am about the name Olive!
We first heard the name at our church. One of the little girls in Eloise's Sunday school class has the name. It didn't strike me as a name I absolutely loved right away. But over time I kept thinking about it more and more and eventually couldn't get it out of my mind! It wasn't long before I fell in love with it!
The name Olive means {peace}. An olive branch has long been a symbol of peace, starting in Bible times. Remember how Noah knew that the flood had ended? Genesis 8:11 says, "When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth." It was God's symbol to Noah that he was restoring peace on the earth.
As many of you know, this past year has not been an easy one for us. These are not the circumstances nor the place we were expecting to be in when I first got pregnant. God did a 180 on all of our plans in the last couple of months and completely changed our direction in life. And though these times have been hard, He has continually given us the promise of His hope and peace.
Once we started seriously considering the name Olive, God started giving me reminders of His peace everywhere I turned; church, my devotions, my conversations with others... The name Olive became very dear to our hearts as we really started to see and believe that God would give us peace no matter what our circumstances turned out to be. The name Olive became a symbol of peace in my life personally.
We didn't fully decide on the baby's name until I was in my third trimester. I knew that whether the baby ended up being a boy or a girl, God had used the name Olive to remind me to trust Him no matter the circumstances! And I knew that Olive absolutely had to be the name if baby was a girl! (The baby boy name we had picked out means {God is good} - another great meaning for this time period in our lives!)
The day I was induced (April 2nd) my devotional read this:
"I have promised to meet all your needs according to My glorious riches. Your deepest, most constant need is for My Peace. I have planted Peace in the garden of your heart, where I live; but there are weeds growing there too: pride, worry, selfishness, unbelief. I am the Gardener, and I am working to rid your heart of those weeds. I do My work in various ways. When you sit quietly with Me, I shine the Light of My Presence directly into your heart. In this heavenly Light, Peace grows abundantly and weeds shrivel up. I also send trials into your life. When you trust Me in the midst of trouble, Peace flourishes and weeds die away. Thank me for troublesome situations; the Peace they can produce far outweighs the trials you endure."
- Jesus Calling
That was the day our little Olive Kay was born! Our reminder of God's provision and peace no matter our circumstances.
For each of our kids we've chosen a life verse. For Olive we've chosen Colossians 3:15 (NCV):
Beautiful post! I love it when He speaks to us RIGHT where we are - amazing! And your sweet babies are beautiful, too :)
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