Nathaniel Reeves Steward: What's in Your Name

For my son,

Nathaniel Reeves Steward, long name for a little guy. We decided just to call you Nate when you're little but who knows, you may never outgrow it for your Mom and I. More important to me than your nickname, I want you to know what is in your name. By that I mean, your name is something to be proud of, I just want you to know what it means and why we chose it.

"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold."
Proverbs 22:1

Nathaniel: To be honest, I think your mom just really liked this name so that's what we decided to name you. But I looked it up and it means, "Gift of God." Son, you have been given to us by God as a gift. We are blessed to be able to love you, raise you, and to prepare you to serve God because after all, you are His. God has seen fit to bring you into our lives at this time and that is something that I am truly thankful for. Never forget that you are a gift given by God Himself, I pray you will always live you life with this in mind.

Reeves: This one is a little harder to talk about. I had a cousin growing up who was just a few months older than me. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, we would always be outside playing football, begging someone to come play with us, because after all, it's hard to play football with two people. He was always smaller than I was but he was a lot faster. Man, that Reeves could run, if he burnt me deep, there was no way I was going to catch him. One day, my Mom told me that Reeves was really sick. I couldn't believe it because Reeves and I were practically the same age, we weren't supposed to have this happen to us. I saw Reeves quite a few more times but I could tell he didn't feel good anymore. Sadly, when I believe we were around 11 or 12 years old, Reeves passed away. Reeves was so young, he wasn't supposed to get sick like this. We named you for Reeves because I have never forgotten about him. Always remember that we live to honor God, but also so that we remember our loved ones who have gone on before us.

Steward: I hope you are proud of the last name you will have. I have always done my best to live up to it and I couldn't ask for a better family to be a part of. To be a Steward means you are honest with others and yourself. It means you will look out for others. It means you will do whatever it takes to help someone else in need. Be a humble servant, not only to God, but also to the people around you. That's what a Steward is, a servant. I don't expect big great things from you in your life, I don't expect you to be really important, or to be a holder of enormous wealth. What I do expect, and  hope you come to expect from yourself, is to be willing to serve others. It is very often, not easy. We don't do it for the praise of others, but we do it for the glory of God.

So Nate, I hope maybe one day, when you can read, that you can read this and let it sink in. I am still learning all of these things myself. Maybe as I continue to learn, I can help show you some things that will help you learn quicker than I did. Can't wait to see you son.