Born in Pain...

This is an old, and I think rather angelic picture of my nephew. The one we've so joyously refered to in the past as "the little lord of leaping" because he's such an atheltic, active child.
This past weekend I had a "new" visitor in my Sunday School class. (for the Youth) One of the families is active in Foster Parenting, and they have had several very young children placed with them recently. One of which is just a teething infant by the name of "Payne". Yep. Sounds funny doesn't it? Calling a sweet little baby, "Payne" - go ahead, say it outloud while you're sitting there at your monitor... knowing what you know of the big, bad world, and let your mind wonder over to how this child will be recieved with such a name as "Payne".
I've been thinking about it for a couple days now. I seem to remember reading somethings in the little book by Bruce Wilkinson, titled The Prayer of Jabez which gives me some hope for little Payne. Have any of you ever read it?
To me, the book talks about hidden treasures because it details something unique - hidden away in the least read chapters of the least read book of the entire Holy Bible. The first 9 chapters of 1Chronicles are taken up with name after name of geneology, the Hebrew tribes, then 44 names into the 4th chapter, a story suddenly breaks through:
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Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested. (1 Chronicles 4: 9-10)
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Then in the very next verse, the roll call for the tribe of Judah picks up again, as if nothing has happened. And, as Mr.Wilkinson points out, you can search the scriptures, front to back for more information on Jabez, but that is all the scribes wrote. The interesting thing is that SOMETHING about the man, Jabez, gave them cause for pause at all - to switch tactics in mid-count and pay a tribute of sorts, to this individual out of all those being accounted for (?!) it's a red flag for "remarkable" isn't it?
Wilkinson also does a great service to his reader in reminding them how important a name was in ancient Hebrew Culture; a fact still holding true, around the globe, when you think about how much time, attention, and $$$, image is given.
Could Jabez have been hyper-sensitive, and adverse himself, to the possibilities of inflicting pain - solely by virture of the name he'd been given? Was his character and sensitivity maginfied by what his mother had to say about him and his arrival into the world?
As a sunday school teacher I'm constantly looking for ways to make the lessons of the gospel stand up and live for the youth, so that they might 'liken the scriptures unto themselves'.
So I found it interesting that I was presented with baby Payne this Sunday. . . and the brief biblical note on 'Jabez' sprang to mind.
I hope and pray she learns to walk as honorably as scriptures say Jabez, of old, did and that God grants her every good blessing she may have need of and requests for, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.