A Dedicated Family
Today we had Abby dedicated at church. As our Pastor correctly noted, the dedication was as much for us as it was for Abby. When you look at it from that perspective, and as we very much believe, the Dedication is an opportunity to publicly declare that we accept our child as a gift from God and that we also accept responsibility for her spiritual upbringing. That is, perhaps, a simple way of summarizing one of the most serious and complex responsibilities of Christian parenting, but it’s sobering nonetheless.
Abby was awake and alert through the whole event but didn’t make a peep. In fact, shortly after returning to our seats, I layed her in my lap and she fell asleep. For me, it was quite an experience. Events like this always tend to awaken your senses and stir some degree of emotion, especially when they involve something as precious as a infant and particularly when he or she is your own.
As Abby was drifting off to sleep and the congregation was singing, I felt an indescribable ease come over me and could almost hear God say to me, “Have peace, she belongs to me!” I’m sure there will be plenty of challenges, struggles, and learing experiences as we raise Abby but there will also be at least as many opportunities to grow in our faith and I’m thankful that I know we can count on that peace as long as our confidence is in Christ.
