So, for all who are wondering why my Grandma name is “Hapzi”….

First of all though let me introduce my beautiful granddaughter, the one who made me a Hapzi… her name is Magnolia Grace!  

I know I am partial, but goodness, she is the most precious baby, and already has such a huge place in my heart!

So, when we first found out that we were going to be grandparents, the conversation about our grandparent names began.  I really had no idea what I wanted to be called, I only knew I wanted something unique, and meaningful.

Over the next couple of weeks, ideas came and went, but none seemed to be a good fit either to me, or to the ones that were giving me feedback on my suggestions. And as time went on, I was in such a busy season that I didn’t even have much brain space to figure it out.

But soon after that, I was headed to speak at a retreat and knew I would have some free time to really give it some thought, so I prayed and asked God to show me my grandma name that weekend! I had even thought of the possibility of having some time during a break to do some Bible research and possibly find the Hebrew word for grandmother… maybe that would be a unique and meaningful name for me?

But I didn’t have to even worry about that… because God answered my prayer and revealed the perfect grandmother name for me!  See, at two different times on Saturday, I listened to two different different ladies share testimony about a Bible name I never recalled hearing before. 

The name was “Hephzibah,” and it definitely got my attention!

So later that night… I sat with my Bible open to Isaiah 62:4, and read this part of Isaiah’s prophecy to the Jewish nation, as he told them, “No longer will you be called barren, rejected, forgotten, but you will be called Hephzibah, meaning My delight is in you…”

Oh my goodness!  This spoke so deeply to me… because many years ago as we walked through the struggle of infertility, I was barren, and I felt like God had forgotten me. It was an incredibly difficult season, and I didn’t know if I would ever be a mother, much less a grandmother.  Well, God did bless us with two amazing children, and I am so grateful. And now… God’s blessing, His delight, was pouring out on us again in this precious life to come, our granddaughter!

I also loved this name because it was totally unique, but also meaningful! 

So meaningful to me to know that God delighted in me… but also hopefully meaningful to Magnolia, and other grandchildren we may have one day too, because I absolutely want them to know that my heart delights in them!  

And now that Magnolia is born, at even just one week old, oh my delight is in her!

But back to my name… obviously I knew that the name Hephzibah would be way too much for a little one to say… so I shortened it to Hapzi, by adjusting the spelling just a bit to make it easier to speak. My daughter even bought me this fun shirt!

So I love my name… and in my heart, I know God picked it just for me! Plus, it also sounds kind of like the word ‘happy’  and that just makes me smile, because I want to be a happy grandmother!

So there you have it… that’s the reason why my grandmother name is Hapzi!

And just for info sake… I have also learned that Hephzibah was actually a Biblical person. She was the wife of King Hezekiah, and mother of King Manasseh (2 Kings:21:1-2).  And Jewish tradition says that she was the adopted daughter of the prophet Isaiah, whom he probably delighted in, which is why he probably gave her that name, and then used it in the prophecy of Isaiah 62:4 to mean the same thing! So cool!

And, credits to my daughter and son in law… without whom none of this would be possible!