When Your Child Gets Baptized

So. This happened Sunday night.

I've tried and tried to come up with words to describe watching my child get baptized, but nothing I say can even come close to describing the flood of emotions I feel when I look at this picture.

It's a hard thing to see sin growing and flourishing your child's heart. Back in the spring, we were having a bit of a rough time with this one. There were bad attitudes and harsh words and selfishness and downright meanness. It was not a fun time.

As I prayed for her and talked with her, I knew that what she needed, more than anything else, was Jesus. She needed him to sweep into her heart and fill her with his Spirit. She needed a fresh start. She needed mercy and grace and redemption. She needed salvation.

On May 1, this sweet girl looked up at me after church one morning and said she wanted to ask Jesus to come into her heart. And so, that afternoon, she did. She's been impatiently waiting for her baptism ever since.

I'll never forget standing there beside the baptistry when our pastor dipped her under the water. She came up with the biggest grin on her face—it was a moment of pure joy for her. And for me. And for all of our family that was there to witness such a sweet moment. 

What a sweet, sweet gift God gave to us when he made her ours. Parenting is hard, and there are definite ups and downs. But Sunday night? Definitely a high point.

I'm so grateful that God, in his great grace and mercy, looked down on her and drew her near. I'm so thankful that she heeded his call and went running to him. And more than anything else, I'm so glad that we get to be a part of the journey as she grows to know, love, and serve the Lord.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Prayers for My Children

Can we just take a minute and talk about how hard parenting is? We've had a rough couple of days with this one. There have been lots of tears, hurt feelings, broken rules, raised voices, and just plain grouchiness.

It has not been fun.

It's been the opposite of fun.

But tonight, after we tucked the girls in bed, I spent a few extra minutes with this one. We talked about sin and forgiveness and grace and repentance. And we talked about how our love for her is limitless, but how there are still consequences for behavior. 
And then I prayed for her.

I prayed for grace and mercy and forgiveness. I prayed that the Lord would lead her and guide her and help her to be the person that he wants her to be. I thanked him for her tender heart. For her silly laugh. For her sweet spirit. For her artist's soul. And I asked Him to be with her. To show her the way. And to make her His very own.

It's so hard to see the seeds of sin flourishing in her little heart. As a mom who's just a tad-bit overprotective, I want to march right in and rip it out, but nothing I do can save her from it. I can't fix it for her. Only God can. She is a sinner in need of grace. We all are. But seeing it in your child?? So, so hard.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Sometimes You Just Get a Case of the Hiccups

Hey y'all! Hope all is well in your corner of the world! We had a wonderful holiday with our family, but now I'm just looking forward to getting back into our routine. I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for a good routine. With the shop launch and all the changes going on in my work life, it's been a while since I've shared anything personal. But y'all. I just can't hold this one back.

Sunday night was the Hanging of the Green at our church, and all the children's choirs performed. My big girl had her very first solo, and she was so excited. She's been singing the song so much over the past few weeks that her 3-year-old sister knows it just as well. We'd been looking forward to the performance, and apparently, so had everyone else. The sanctuary was packed.

But y'all. The poor little thing hiccuped her way through the whole entire solo. Literally. It was both precious and hilarious, and I was so proud of the way she pushed through. 

See? Is that not one of the cutest things you've ever seen?? She handled it so well, but I'm afraid that if I had been in her shoes, I would have been mortified and paralyzed by the fear of looking silly in front of nearly everyone I knew. But not Micah. She just giggled and carried on as best she could.

This morning, I got to thinking about all the little things in life that we just can't control, hiccups included, and I realized that I could stand to learn something from my dear little daughter. Lucky for you, I'm here to pass it along: When you get a case of the hiccups, you can try standing on your head or swallowing water upside down or any other crazy remedy you may have heard, but in the end, there's nothing that you can do to cure them. All you can do is giggle and move on. The recovering perfectionist in me really needed that lesson. 

Apply that piece of wisdom however you see fit. You're welcome. Until next time, grace and peace.