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Updated - Monday, November 2nd, 2009

 

 

Why name her Grace?

Shhh...I can hear you

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart"
Jeremiah 1:5

To Sherry and I, the bible verse above is a big part of our strength. It gives us great comfort and peace, and never rang more true than on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 6th, 2008.

This was the day of the standard 20-week ultrasound. Up to this point, everything had gone wonderfully at all of our exams and was all that we had hoped for. The beginning of this exam was no different. As they scanned our babies little body, everything looked wonderful. They confirmed the early ultrasound and said she was a little girl! We had pretty much decided on a name already, so we were excited to tell the news to the family! The ultrasound continued and everything still looked great, until they got to her heart. They could not see some things that they were "supposed" to see and you could see the concern on their face. After having several people look at the ultrasound, they gave us the news that no parent could ever imagine. It looked like she had a serious heart abnormality. We were shocked and devistated! Nothing could prepare you to hear those words.

Needless to say, it was a very quiet car ride home. We were both in our own little worlds, trying to process what we had just heard. How could this happen to our perfect little angel? Why her? Why us? There was nothing but dead silence in the car. Then it happened!

I felt this amazing peace and heard a voice in my head say "You need to name her Grace!" I was very surprised, to say the least, and I immediately without question told Sherry "I think we are supposed to name her Grace." Sherry looked at me and turned pale white. She was stunned! She said "what made you say that?" I told her I just had heard a voice in my head tell me so. I could see the shock in her face! Her jaw dropped and she proceeded to tell me "I heard a voice tell me the same thing two minutes ago!" Well, that was that! We then knew exactly who's voice it was and what we were supposed to do! Some things you just don't question. Our little girl was now named Grace!

This just confirms what the bible has always told us. He knows us before we are born; before we are even conceived. We knew right then He had something special planned for our little girl! Since God named our baby, I thought it would be the coolest thing to name her after God. So, since her first name was now Grace and her last name was already Dunn, we came up with the middle name of Olivia. Her initials were now G.O.D.! What a perfect name for our beautiful gift from God! She will now be a living testimony of God's perfect plan! We found out later that the name Grace Olivia means "God's blessing, bringer of peace!" Could there be a more perfect name for our little girl....God's little girl?!

When life has you down, take comfort in knowing God knew you before you were born and He has a plan for you. He loves you more than you could ever imagine. He cries when you hurt. He smiles when you are happy. He longs for the day when you realize this and want to know Him more. He loves you so much, He even sent His Son to die for you and each and every one of us! And we pray that, through Grace's trials and challenges, you pray a little more than before, you count your blessing a little more than before, and you realize God will get you through ANYTHING life throws at you! You are always loved!

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