Even so, that doesn't preclude that the saint chose them, does it?
I wasn't suggesting that it paedobaptism precludes the Saint choosing them. I was suggesting that most Orthodox Christians do not choose their own name
anyway, so to base the idea that their Patron is a Saint they have a personal attraction to is nonsensical.
Living in time and space as we do, we can't be sure exactly
how Eternity effects our lives. We know that God has foreknowledge of everything that will ever take place in time, so to suggest that God is somehow "surprised" that a particular Saint is "picked" as someone's patron is nonsensical. God knew which Angel would be our Guardian while Adam was still deciding whether to wear fig leaves or poison ivy (thankfully, he picked the former). He also knew which Saint would be our Patron before we were even born.
We do not direct God. We do not appoint Saints and Angels to do our bidding. The Angels and Saints do
God's bidding, not ours. In this sense, I would have to say that I agree that our Patron "picks us" (or more correctly, is appointed by God to protect us) rather than we deciding who's job that is.
I personally have had several experiences through my life where my Patron has come to my aid. I posted a recent one here:
http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php/topic,10897.msg147971.html#msg147971