10 Question Challenge

Premise: Recently, I asked Londyn to write down any 10 Questions she could think of and I would write back to her with my answers. I did not give any specifications, I did not give her any prompts...just that simple bit of instruction. 10 questions I would answer. I was surprised and slightly overwhelmed by the depth and quality of her questions. Ok, no easy task, but here we go...

Question 9 | Why do we have names?

What a good question! And though this may be a little annoying, when I first read your question, it made me think of a couple of questions myself. And what are those questions? It’s not just, “Why do we have names,” in general, like for everyone on the planet, but why do you have the name you have and why is that important?

It’s one of those questions that you don’t think about that often—but your name is something you hear all the time. Think about it. We call your name when we need you to come inside. When we are looking for you. When we need your attention. Your name is one of those thing that isn’t really who you are (on the inside) but it’s the thing that identifies you.

Your name has a meaning, and if you can believe it, it wasn’t hard for me and your mom to agree on it. When mom found out she was pregnant, she had the thought, “I wonder what Matt would think of the name Londyn?” What’s crazy is that at the same time, I had the very same thought! So, when she asked, “What about the name Londyn,” I just smiled and agreed that it was meant to be!

It seems before you were even here, before you ever made your first little whimper and had trouble opening your right eye, your name was waiting for you. So that kind of explains how we decided on your first name. When we went to look it up (they have books that give you meanings to what names have become over many many years), Londyn meant, “Fortress (safe building) or Ruler (leader),” and from the first minute of your life, your personality (and this is the part of you that makes you, you) this was very clear.   

As for your middle name Mia, that too comes with some meaning. It means “mine” as well as the word “beloved,” which is just a fancy word for loved a whole lot! You add that to your first name and you get this short sentence: Londyn Mia = A Fortress (safe building) or Ruler (leader) that is beloved (loved a whole lot)! 

And even though that’s what the name means in some books, that’s just the starting point really. Think about it like a blank page that you’re going to draw on, a picture you’re going to create. You start off with an idea in your head, and as you start to put the marker to the page, you are taking the first steps to whatever it is that it’s going to become. Your name is just the beginning—it’s the start of who you are. It’s something you understand little by little. Something that takes on shape and color and looks more and more like a whole picture over time.

But what’s funny about it all, what’s so cool about a name, is this: just because someone knows your name, it doesn’t mean they know who you are. Who you are is the part inside of you that no one really sees. It’s your thoughts and dreams, your hopes and things that concern you. It’s the stuff that makes you smile. Even the stuff that makes you cry. The part of you that doesn’t like to watch movies that have sad parts, these are the colors and shapes that make you, you.

That means, you are the person who knows you the best. As you learn and figure out all those things inside of you, you can use that as a map of sorts. Friends around you may act one way or another. They may talk differently. They might use words that you either don’t use or know you shouldn’t use or act in a way different from you, but inside, you know who you are and you know what best for you to do.

Now, there’s one important thing about the sentences above. You are the best person in understanding who you are, but there is someone else who knows you even better than that. It’s not me, it’s not your mom. It’s not even your best friend in the whole world. Who is that person? Because you are smart, you probably already have some guesses, and likely, you even have said the answer out loud. The person who knows you best is God. Though I’m your dad and mom’s your mom, God is the one who created you and knows you best.

It’s kinda funny because just like you start a picture with a blank page and little by little you create something and put it on the page, God has created you and He also has a picture in mind. He can see everything about your life. Did you just have an itch on your head? Well guess what? God already knew you were going to have it. Did you slide on your skates and skin your knee? Want to know something neat? God, from the very beginning knew it was going to happen.

In those moments (and they will come) where you feel like you don’t know who you are, times where you feel like you don’t understand what’s happening around you, take comfort (basically just chill down) and say, “I’m no surprise to God, He’s got me, knows who I am, He knows my name and I’m good.”

And it’s not just with some of the silly stuff (skinning your knee or an itch on your head). Remember when you were outside playing and you felt left out? When you felt like you weren’t apart of the group? God saw that too. And though knowing God saw it or that it happened doesn’t make you feel any better in the moment, it is an awesome reminder that God see’s you and knows who you are and more importantly, what you will be one day. Maybe a singer, maybe an animal doctor…or maybe the leader of a great company, but whatever that is, God already knows.

If we didn’t have names, how would someone get your attention? If you didn’t have a name, how would someone call out to you? Over time, day by day, the reason you have a name is because it separates you out from the crowd. And as you start to add color to your drawing, as you add the different shapes to the page, you start to see for yourself who you are.

Here’s a little secret I’ll let you in on. Whenever I’m gone at work and I come home to see a table full of drawings and paintings, I can tell which ones are yours. Why? Because I see you in your pictures. There are ways you draw and color things that your brothers don’t. I see your personality (remember, all the stuff inside you that makes you you) and the things that you felt were important to get on the blank piece of paper. 

The same is true for your life. Your name comes with meaning from the beginning = A Fortress (safe building) or Ruler (leader) that is beloved (loved a whole lot). As you grow up, you start to discover all the cool things about you = what makes you laugh, cry, get excited, what’s important to you. Then, the best part, the most important part = nothing about you or your life is a surprise to God. And because of it, you can sit back, relax, and be confident in who you are.

Your name is Londyn Mia. Those are the words I use to get your attention, and as you continue to grow up, as you continue to figure out what your picture looks like, your life continues to grab my attention and affection. I already have an idea of who you are, but as your dad, I can’t wait to see what it really becomes.