Birth Stories

July 24, 2013

Another prince of England was born this week. This royal baby, like most princes, will hopefully be king one day. He has a long way to go. His great-grandmother seems intent on serving as Queen until her death. By the way, her mother lived to be 105. His grandfather Charles has been a king-in-waiting for 64 years. By the way, his father is 92. The youngest prince’s own father is now 31. The new baby seems to have had a typical royal hospital birth, with thousands of curious people waiting outside. Not like my typical hospital birth story where my father waited in a room down the hall. But the new prince and I seem to be running parallel lives. I was born in the same hospital where my mother had been born. The new prince was born in the same hospital as his father. And his grandfather Charles and I share the same birth date.

            Do you know your birth story? Everyone seems to have one. Sometimes the story is about the mother’s labor and delivery. Sometimes it’s about an unusual circumstance or place. Other times the birth story is fairly ordinary or routine but the naming process is highlighted. What was happening in your family when you were born? Some birth stories involve words like unexpected or premature. Some involve mad dashes or crazy relatives or medical emergencies. When our first daughter was about to be born, Corky came into the delivery room. Corky was a high school and college friend married to one of Dorothy’s best friends. He was the on-call obstetrician that day. Awkward is the word that comes to mind. But we soon got over it—there was a baby to be born and an excited doctor who was anxious to call his wife and tell her the news of our new baby.

            Birth stories shape us and our names can define us. Firstborns get all the pictures and new clothes. Good luck if you come in fourth. And the middle child is always passed over by “the baby.” Nicknames are a sort of renaming of who you are to highlight your personality, or because it seemed funny at the time. Do you know the meaning of your name? The biblical way of naming was to bless the child with a name that would hopefully define character, future or vocation. Much time and speculation goes into the naming of our children. Some names are given to our children to honor others. This young prince will have multiple names and titles, some of which will change throughout his life. But like his forbearers, he will be called his “first” name.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Love who you are. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.