The Story of Sadie's Name

I have always liked the name Sadie for a few reasons:

• It is simple
• Old-fashioned
• Not too popular, but not too weird (ranked #111 in U.S. births this year) 
• 2 syllables
• Easily pronounced
• Won't be shortened 
• She will be called what she is named (Being a middle-namer (Laura Megan) and resenting my parents for it every time I'm at the doctor's office or have to sign a check, being named and called the same thing is important to me) 
• And just like the name"Molly," I can't say the name "Sadie" without smiling

When I looked up the meaning of the name, it is a diminutive form of the name "Sarah" and means "princess." In addition to knowing a slew of Sarah's, and loving every one of them, I also can relate to the story of Sarah in the Bible.  I love that God changed her name when she went from barrenness to fruitfulness.  It seemed appropriate.

It was an easy decision when we found out we were having a girl what her name was going to be.  That is, until we started telling our students, friends, and family what her name was.  I can understand why people wait to reveal names until their baby is born...so many people have opinions!

I can vividly remember the day when I told some of my seniors that her name is "Sadie."


"Is that like the words 'sad' and 'die' put together?" one of them asked.  


"No!" I said emphatically, brows furrowed, nosed scrunched. "No, it's not!" 

(I love my students, by the way, and their inability to filter their inner-monologues.)  :o)

And then I couldn't stop thinking about it.  All I could imagine was my goth little teenage girl one day with black painted fingernails and dyed hair and black lipstick.  I didn't want her growing up thinking I shrouded her with a name that was filled with thoughts of sadness and death.  Just in case, the name needed a little sunshine added to it.

...Which is why we chose the middle name "Joy."  Just in case Sadie relates her name to darkness, "Joy" balances it out a little bit.  I liked giving her a virtue name anyway.  Molly's middle name is "Grace" and I felt like "Sadie Joy" goes with "Molly Grace" without it being too matchy-matchy.

All that being said, I felt like the lessons God has taught me through both sadness and joy during this pregnancy have made her name so sweet and precious to me.  This is what I wrote about this season in a post a few weeks ago...  

 It is in recognizing that both sadness and joy can coexist that makes me feel like I can be a good mom to the new blessing that is our baby girl.  And its not just that these two feelings coexist, I see one informing the other.  I see that as God consoles, He also transforms.  I think it is impossible for the nearness of His presence not to change us completely.  I am a better mom, a better student of the Word, a better teacher, a better artist, a better friend, wife, sister, daughter, .... because I have experienced real sadness and real joy.


It is also through this season that God has been teaching me that in sadness He is close to the broken-hearted, mourns with those who mourn, and consoles my heart with the promise of His presence.  And it is through joy that He teaches me He loves to bless me with knowing all good things come from Him for the greater purpose of 
1- giving Him the glory for it
2-  conforming me more into the image of His son and
3- giving me a glimpse into the complete fulfillment I will experience in Heaven when I am with Him.  

And that is what I hope to teach you one day, Sadie Joy.  I will teach you that life will be hard and sad and painful because we live in a fallen world.  But life will also be filled with fun and laughter and sunshine.  And through both of these times, though your feelings will change, God remains the same.  

He is good.