Ezekiel - The Lord Strengthens

We thought Naomi was going to be a boy when she was born, even though the ultrasound said girl. Here's a little (LONG) backstory to our assumption, which continues to be clarified as the weeks go by. Yay, God!

I really struggled with depression during pregnancy without realizing. I thought I just didn't like being pregnant.* It was confusing, as I always wanted to be pregnant and be a mom. My spirit felt very desolate and my mind was tired. During this time, when I was about 4 or 5 months pregnant, Kevin and I transitioned to a new church by the Holy Spirit's prompting. One Sunday, a prophetic leader in our church got up and gave a word to the congregation from Ezekiel 37, the valley of the dry bones. I can't remember his exact words, but what I took from it was that the Lord has empowered us as believers to speak newness into the dead and dry places in our lives. After feeling like I had been in a spiritual desert for several months, my soul and spirit lapped up this refreshing news.

The following week, I met up with one of the dearest people in the world, Amanda for lunch. We went to the same church (she's now loving on folks in the Middle East), so I shared how the aforementioned word from Ezekiel spoke new life into me. She said something along the lines of, "Well, I think I have a word to give you!" She proceeded to tell me how sometime a couple days prior to our lunch, her husband had asked if we knew the gender of our baby, because he felt like the Lord said it was going to be a boy and his name was going to be Ezekiel.

At this point, I just broke down in tears in the middle of Queenie's, because Ezekiel was the name Kevin and I had picked out for a boy's name about 6 years ago, when having kids wasn't in the picture yet. We had never shared that name with anyone prior to that day. I was stunned the Lord would speak to someone else on my behalf, but as I've learned since, He's anxious to talk to His kids. I felt excited and intimately loved by Jesus for the first time maybe ever.

I thought, "God, crazier things have happened than a wrong ultrasound prediction." So from then until birth, we only bought gender neutral clothes, and when people asked what we were having, we'd say "um... we don't really know!" and that was the honest truth (except for people whom we accidentally let it slip to before this happened). We only got one ultrasound my entire pregnancy, so it was just a wait and see game.

Well, I think those who know us can guess how that turned out. We were just plain wrong (with the gender, at least). I gave birth to the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on. This caused Kevin and I just a little confusion with the name Ezekiel, wondering why the Lord gave us such a specific name if it wasn't a boy. We didn't feel like we could recycle it either, as it was so attached to everything we had been through. But as Naomi's story continues to unfold, we are realizing more and more that God was very specific in giving us Ezekiel for this season and even for Naomi herself. I'll share more about that in a follow up post, as it could get real lengthy.

After writing this and then watching videos of Shawn Bolz, I'm getting so pumped about the prophetic gifts that are very much still alive today. God's still speaking and He does it through His church! I love that.

*a note to all your pregnant mommas: if you're not feeling yourself during pregnancy (and I don't just mean physically) please, please reach out to someone you can confide in and seek guidance from. For me, it was deeply spiritual, and some things I'm still working through, but the Lord is taking me to new places of freedom every day. And to all those who know pregnant mommas/new mommas, reach out to them without smothering them or overstepping boundaries. Ask them how they are really doing, love on them, pray for them, and encourage them!