Back in the times of the Bible, the names given to children were meaningful. Not just that the names had an original meaning which may or may not have been considered. Children were often named for the hopes their parents had for their future or unfortunately for some (poor Jabez! I Chronicles 4:9) what they put their mothers through in labor and delivery.
When we were pregnant with our daughter, I had a name I loved. When we did the ultrasound and she waved…well let’s just say, Katrina (and the Waves for music fans) was a natural fit. We loved both of our daughter’s names meant purity. We even gave her a theme song “Walking On Sunshine” by of course, Katrina and the Waves.
I don’t know why we didn’t think of giving her a theme verse as well. The other day, a guy I went to church with as a child was celebrating the birthday of one of his kids. His wife posted their child’s theme verse as part of the celebration on Facebook. I absolutely love that idea. The idea of having a verse of scripture as a part of your identity from the very start.
The great thing is that you don’t have to dismiss this idea if your child is already born and even quite a bit older. Our daughter found her theme verse (or it found her!) when she was older. Not surprisingly, it goes along with her personality and even her theme song. (If you’re curious, it’s Philippians 4:8.) It really does capture the essence of who she is and how she tries to view her life as a Christian.
My one caution is to think it through carefully when choosing a verse. You want a verse that inspires and not just to “Children obey your parents”! You want to find one to encourage your child to turn to God in whatever happens in their lives. You most certainly don’t want the scriptural equivalent of Jabez for your child!
It’s not necessary and it isn’t required by God. Sometimes though, it’s those little extra touches that will help your children stay close to God as they go through life. To me, it’s an idea worth trying.