Baby Dedication

Two days ago, Dennis and I stood in front of our church and "committed ourselves to the Christian nurture" of our daughter. It was a precious moment, celebrated with family and friends. Micah won't remember the day. She won't remember the prayer. She won't remember the way she wriggled in my arms and tried to eat her shoes. But we will remember.

I've always been amazed that God would give me a job so important...that he would entrust me with the task of raising one of his sweet little children. I try to be a good mother not just because I love my daughter. Not just because I'm a perfectionist. But because for some crazy reason, God gave me this task. I want to do well because I want God to be pleased with the job I've done.

Micah is a sweet little girl. We rarely have days when I want to call a do-over. She's got an infectious grin and a laugh that bubbles out of her. Every day, she shows me a new facet of her personality, and I'm quite surprised that so much life can fit into such a tiny package. She's a sweet and precious gift from God. She's cute as a button too; that doesn't hurt.

It is my prayer that she will grow into a beautiful young woman who loves the Lord and chases after him with abandon. I know that I can't shelter her from pain, but I pray that the hard times she faces will help her appreciate the good even more. I pray that God will transform us into the kind of parents that he created us to be. That he will grant us patience, and kindness, and grace and mercy as we raise his baby girl. I pray that God will help her forgive us when we make mistakes, that he will cultivate a gentle spirit, a contrite heart and a sweet disposition in her. I thank God for Micah every time she falls asleep in my arms. I pray that she will make her heavenly father proud. I pray that she will love him. I pray that she knows how much we love her, how much we care for her, how often we pray for her. I pray that God gets ahold of her in the same way he got ahold of me - in a way that will leave her forever changed - for the better.

These are the things I pray.

Some of them, anyway.

Will you pray with me?

The thing I love about baby dedications is that I get to pray for a tiny little person and his parents. That I get to call that child by name and ask God to protect and nurture, to guide and bless him. It's a privilege that I love to be a part of.

I love it, because I feel like we're really being the church when we commit to help raise a child. Will you be the church for us and pray for our family as we raise this precious little girl?

Until next time, grace and peace.

Rock-a-Bye, Baby

Pardon me from my departure from the promised update yesterday. We had...extenuating circumstances...that kept me from writing. What are the circumstances, you ask? A water leak in baby girl's closet and the arrival of tooth number two. Poor thing. She's been ousted from her room and forced to sleep in the Pack 'n Play in the office, which is where the computer lives, which means that I've been ousted from the office and forced to fill my time doing other things. Not that that's a bad thing. I'll have to tell you the story of how the water leak came about some other time. The short version is that in Micah's short life (only six and a half months), Dennis has pulled up the carpet in her room no less than four times. We've got to get out of this house. That's become our mantra.

But since my baby girl is fussy and cranky and slightly feverish and gnawing on her hands constantly, I thought I'd share my favorite songs to sing Micah while we're rocking. You won't find Brahm's on this list.  Ready? Here we go:

1. Be Still My Soul
2. Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone
3. I Need Thee Every Hour
4. How Deep the Father's Love for Us
5. Great Is Thy Faithfulness

It's funny how the most comforting things I have to offer my child are the songs of my faith.  They are ingrained in my soul. Singing them is second nature. They soothe me and help me relax, which in turn helps her relax.

What do you sing to your baby when's she's fussy?  

Until next time, grace and peace.

Immunization

Three months ago, I took a writing hiatus and disappeared for a little while to prepare for the birth of my daughter and give myself time to adjust to our new life together.  Yesterday, we celebrated her two-month birthday, and today she reached a milestone.  Her first round of shots. This morning we woke up early and packed the diaper bag.  I strapped my daughter into her carseat and loaded her in the car.  When we arrived at the office, I signed her in and sat in the waiting room with her as she cooed and grinned at me.  My heart was heavy.  I knew that my happy child would be upset and crying by the time we left the office, but I also knew that the shots were in her best interest.

The nurse weighed her, and the doctor checked her out.  The time for the shots arrived before I was ready for them.  My daughter gripped my index finger in one hand and my husband's in the other.  She laid on the examination table in complete submission and trust as the nurse held down her legs and gave her the first shot.

For a second, I thought she wouldn't cry.  Then her face contorted in shock and agony and she shrieked in pain.  I've never heard that sound come out of her mouth before.  The crying got louder with each shot, and my heart ached for my baby girl.  She had just experienced pain for the first time in her life, and I had voluntarily subjected her to it.

On the ride home, it occurred to me that sometimes God signs us up for pain that he knows is necessary for our own well-being.  In those moments, all we can do is cling to his finger for dear life and keep trusting that he knows what is best for us.  No life worth living is painless, and however much we may wish that we could spare ourselves the discomfort, sometimes the pain is necessary to get us where we need to be.

My daughter, by the way, is fine.  As I type this, she's laid across my lap smiling and cooing at me again.  She survived the temporary pain.  All is well.