On November 8th - which just happened to be Orphan Sunday - we dedicated our squirrely girls to the Lord. I was not raised in a church that did a dedication service and always assumed it was some sort of infant christening or baptism but instead, it is a promise that parents make to raise their children according to God's precepts. In return, the church body promises to support parents in their endeavors to "train up a child in the way he (or in this case SHE) must go so when [they] are old, [they] will not depart from it".
We did our best to explain to the girls what this ceremony meant. We asked them what it meant to be dedicated and what it meant to be raised according to God's Word. They threw out several things like "It means...we don't lie, we don't kick each other, we don't be mean, we obey our mom and dad."
How do I tell them it means so much more than that? How do I explain God's grace? The presence of the Holy Spirit? The sense of overwhelming peace? The prophesies of God fulfilled over and over again? When I think about the vast ability I have to completely screw up my child, I wonder how anyone can parent without the Word of God. I already know my kids will need therapy after having me as a mother. If they A) make it to adulthood and B) turn out halfway decent, you will ALL KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that God listened on the day of their dedication and gave us above what we could ask or imagine.
(Photos courtesy of Heather S.)
1 comment:
Tears in my eyes. It is most certainly by God's grace and not much of anything in our own power that our kids have a shot at really knowing Him. I feel so inadequate as a mother so often, but remember that God gave these kids to me to raise and He will see them through despite their faulty earthly parents. Thanks for sharing your words and the sweet pictures of the family.
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