It’s not every day that celebrities use valuable talk-show airtime to openly discuss their favorite Bible verse. But when they do, it’s only fitting that the name of the book also happens to be the name of the celeb.
Matthew McConaughey told Good Morning America that it was his favorite verse, Matthew 6:22, that inspired he and his wife, Camila Alves, to name their son “Levi.”
The verse reads: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.”
Verse 23 continues with the contradictory: “But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
In debating what to name their child, the Dark Tower actor and his wife liked the idea of passing on the name Matthew to their son, should the baby be a boy. There were compelling reasons to do so, but the couple wasn’t completely sold.
“Levi’s another name for Matthew in the Bible,” the actor said. “So, we had talked about possibly Matthew, Jr. if he was a boy. And my favorite book in the Bible is Matthew 6:22.”
When the time came to welcome their bundle of joy into the world nine years ago, God gave the couple the confirmation they needed in knowing the perfect name for their son.
“We find out he’s a boy when he’s born. You’re not thinking about the name, right?” the actor said. “An hour later, the doctor comes up and he hands you that card to fill out: ‘Blank was born at 6:22 p.m.”
Without a second thought from either of them, the joyful new parents looked at the doctor and said, “It’s Levi.”
He details their decision around the 4:00 mark:
This isn’t the first time the award-winning actor has been open about his faith.
In an inspiring acceptance speech at the Oscars in November 2016, McConaughey told the audience that he has three things that he needs in each day: something to look up to, something to look forward to and someone to chase.
Before continuing, he whole-heartedly thanked God. And as he pointed above, the actor explained, “because that’s who I look up to.”
“He’s graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or any other human hand.”
Check out the whole speech below, and SHARE this inspiring message with your friends today!
