Why Matthew?

We're often asked how we chose Matthew's name, so I thought that would make a good blog post.

So... Why Matthew?

Is it a family name?

Well, no, but kind of, I guess.

Springer's great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather was Matthew Battle, but all we know about him is that he was the first member of his family to be born in the United States and that in the 1600's he lived in Surrey County, Virginia.

Also my dear cousin April married an awesome man named Matthew, one we would love our Matthew to be like, so it's neat that they share a name too.

So where really did Matthew come from?

I'm not sure when or how it started, but probably about 5 years ago, whenever we would talk about our son one day, we would call him Matthew... it just stuck. There are a couple of reasons we like this name so much!

1. What it means...

Matthew comes from a Hebrew word that means "gift of God". We waited and prayed for a little one for a long time, so Matthew truly is God's gift to Springer and me! (And Jasper... he just doesn't fully appreciate the gift yet!)

Children are a gift from the LORD. Psalm 127:3

2. We love the apostle Matthew and especially his story of meeting Jesus.

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
Matthew 9:9

We pray that our Matthew, like the Matthew of the Bible, will hear the voice of Jesus, respond with immediate obedience, and follow Jesus all the days of his life.

In other news, our super-talented friend and photographer, Neely Ker-Fox has posted a blog of our maternity and newborn pictures. Enjoy!