Monday, June 4, 2012

Two Week Anniversary - Baptisms and Baby Dedications

Yesterday, I witnessed the most precious things in the lives of my children.  A year ago I had the pleasure of praying with my oldest and leading him to the Lord.  There is nothing better for a Mama's heart than knowing that your child will spend eternity with you and knowing they have made the choice to follow Christ.  Two months ago we were sitting in church when they made the announcement that they were going to be baptizing in June.  After we left church Sam asked if he could be baptized.  I told him to pray about it, because I wanted to make sure he was doing it for the right reasons.  After a week of talking about what it means to be baptized, I called the church office to put  him on the list. 

They had things scheduled so that Baby Dedication was supposed to be last week.  Due to a schedule change, Liana and Isaiah were also dedicated. As parents, one of the most important things we can do for our children is to give them back to God.  We learn about this in the book of Samuel.  This happens to be one of my favorite stories in the Bible.  Hannah was barren.  She cried out to God and asked him to bless her with a son.  When God granted her petition, Hannah took Samuel to the temple and gave him back to God.  With a baby dedication, we promise to raise our children in the fear of the Lord. 


Yesterday, service started off by baptizing 11 people.  Sam was one of them.  John went back with him and then helped him get dressed afterwards. As he stepped into the baptismal, he disappeared.  The pool was taller than he was.  I was a mess.  My heart was overjoyed and I couldn't stop crying.  I have a lot of dreams for each of my children. But, there is nothing I want more for them than their salvation; without that, nothing else matters. 


Then, John and I stood before God and promised that we would place our children in HIS hands.  I was so emotional I could barely stand up.  As the elders gathered  behind us, I know they thought I was going to fall.  I immediately noticed several hands on my back.  ;-)  Each of them was given a Bible. 


After church, we went out to lunch at Chili's.  Everyone was very excited because Aunt Cindy, Ms. Cyndee and Aunt Kathy not only joined us at church, but they went to lunch with us as well!  My kids surprised me by behaving relatively well during lunch. 

Yesterday was also the two week anniversary of meeting my Dad.  That seems so unreal.  It seems like it's been a lot longer than that.  So much healing as taken place during that time.  Life has been so busy, also.  It seems like I have barely stopped for anything.  My big focus right now is getting Dad's Father's Day present finished. 


Being the youngest (and a huge surprise) in my family has it's benefits.  Mom wasn't the greatest about keeping stuff, but thankfully my siblings have kept things.  They all have pictures of me.  The other night, my brother gave me pictures from when I was little and a picture of my Dad.  That meant the world to me.  Yesterday, my sister gave me a packet of photos to make copies of, too.  There is one picture of me that looks just exactly like Liana.  If it wasn't for the "old photo" look, I would've sworn it was her.  I really wouldn't be surprised to one day find out that we are some how biologically related.  Stephanie has always called her Mini Lisa because she looks and acts just like me.


My day was nearly perfect.  The only thing that would've made it better, would've been to share it with my Dad.  I am going to get the DVD of service, though.  One day we will watch it together.  I am so blessed with a great family.  Life is amazing and so worth living. 



For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. - Psalm 107:9 (NKJV)



Blessing,


Weight Loss Mama





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