The Goodness of God

The past week I have been reflecting on Isaiah 59, today verse 21 stood out to me the most. That "the Spirit upon us and the words the Lord has put in our mouths shall not depart out of our mouths, or out of the mouths of our future generations" (I'm paraphrasing).

My biggest goal in parenting and motherhood is for our kids to know the Lord, love Him and His word, and live lives that glorify Him. For me, this essentially means living a life of intentionality. The first step of intentionality in my motherhood journey was being intentional with the names we pick for our kids. I believe names have power, and it was important for us to give our kids names that reflect the character of God. "Ireoluwa," in the Yoruba language, means the goodness of God. Pregnancy as hard as it was for me, is a good thing. Childbirth is a good thing. Nursing your newborn and being sleep deprived is a good thing. Becoming accustomed to my new, unfamiliar body is a good thing. Being a first-time mom has really shown me what God's goodness looks like and how His goodness may look different in different seasons of life. "Ezekiel," other than being a book of the Bible, in the Hebrew language, means the "Strength of God" or "God strengthens," which also looks different in different seasons of life. Outside of the meaning of Ezekiel, we really just loved the nickname "Zeke," but little did I know how much I would have to cling to the Lord for strength in my transition into motherhood. As a woman who prides herself on being independent and self-sufficient, I cannot recall a time I have ever been as weak and vulnerable as I was during the postpartum stage and in my first year of motherhood. Clinging to the Lord for strength as I navigated my recovery and in battling postpartum blues and anxiety, I realized I do not have any strength of my own apart from God. The only way I would be able to overcome was by leaning on His strength and not any of the strength I thought I had. I pray my son grows up to love the meaning and the message of his name but more importantly, loves the one whom He was named after.