Thy Word Is a Lamp

This was written on May 12, when blogger was broken. Posted it to my notes on Facebook first, now reposting for those non-facebookers that read the blog.

As you may have read in my blog "Dedicated", Eric, Dinah, and I participated in the Mother's Day child dedication (or parent/child covenant) service this past Sunday. We were asked to give Dinah a "life verse" so that it could be read at the ceremony. Well, I have never been good at choosing. You can ask anyone who has ever shopped with me. I really wanted to tell Mrs. Jennifer J that we liked all of them.


I began praying about it and I mentioned the choice to Ty one afternoon when we were alone. He said, "Momma, I think her verse should be Psalm 119:105."

"Which one is that, son?" I asked. Ty participated in Bible drills this year and has come a long way in scripture memory. I knew he would be able to give me the verse.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." he quoted easily.

I sat quietly for a moment and then spoke, "I really like that, Ty. Daddy and I have been talking and we were having difficulty picking just one verse or passage for Dinah. We feel that they are all important and couldn't make up our minds. But that verse includes all of them."

Ty smiled. He was proud of his suggestion. I talked to Eric and we agreed that would be Dinah's verse. I am so glad that Ty got to help us choose. You see as I said above, Ty and a few other children at church worked hard all year to learn the books of the Bible (if they didn't already know them), memorize scripture verses, and learned how to use their Bibles to find them. Ty enjoyed doing this. He has always liked quoting scripture. When he was just a tot, he enjoyed watching Bible Man videos and battled evil every day in the house wearing a purple cape and a gold mask. He put on God's full armor and quoted those evil minions back where they belonged.

It has been a while since Ty donned his cape but as he has gotten older, he still battles evil. This evil isn't always as obvious as the evil on the show. He has come to me often with one issue or another and time and time again, we talk about what God says about it in His word.

One afternoon riding in the van, he said out of the blue, "You know, I love reading and memorizing scripture. I feel so close to God when I do." Well, this momma had trouble seeing the road for the tears in her eyes for a few miles as she thanked God for the work He was doing in her oldest son.

So it was our pleasure to allow Ty to be a part of this dedication in that way. I am so thankful that he knows that God's Word is true. I am proud to allow him to share with Dinah that the Bible will light her path and if she follows it, she won't go wrong. When life gets hard, and it will, she will know where to go for guidance, peace, assurance, joy, and comfort.

I am praising a God tonight that was so thoughtful, loving and kind to give us a guidebook. I am also grateful to be able to hold that guide book, read it, memorize it, and share it with my children. I am overwhelmed with my unworthiness to be the mother of 5 lovely children and overcome with a desire to be the best I can be for these 4 here with me on earth. I hope I have begun well by teaching them to love God's word and long for it in their hearts.


Also, the kids are singing in a musical tomorrow night that includes  a song with this scripture. Love them scripture songs! Makes learning the words so much easier. Thank you choir leaders!

Anna Becoming

Dedicated

Tomorrow, on Mother's day, our church will hold an annual child dedication service. The participants are typically children born within the last year. Some older children will be a part of the ceremony also. The purpose is to recognize the responsibility that God has given parents to raise their children in His way and to pledge to seek God's help and wisdom as they strive to their best bringing up their children. We will be a part of this service as we dedicate Dinah to God and promise to guide her in His way.

I have never been one to do something just because everyone else was doing it. I usually put quite a bit of thought in to decisions and this time was no different. Why should we take part in this service? Ty and Tess were not dedicated. When they were born, our church did not offer this and I did not ask for it. Does that mean I don't care about them as much or that I won't teach them to follow God? No. Is this service something I think is necessary for my children to become godly individuals? No.

My children have been dedicated to God ever since we knew they were in utero. I prayed for Dinah specifically for over a year before I knew she was to be born. Over and over, I have pledged them to God as I rocked them, sang to them and prayed over them. We teach them that God's Word and Way is the ONLY way to find joy and fulfillment in their lives. Why do I need to stand up in front of the church and dedicate Dinah before the people of First Baptist Church?

Firstly, we ask for accountability. We want everyone to know that it is our desire to follow God's commands and lead our little ones to live within God's protective boundaries so they can walk in the freedom of His love. The Bible doesn't require that I present my child to the front of the church and promise to raise him or her right. But we chose to so that if we falter in this commitment, we would like fellow Christ followers to remind us of the promise we shared with you on this day.

Also, we love our church family. We share our children with you. While we know that the responsibility of teaching them about Jesus is ours, you help us by spending time with them, being Christian examples, and just loving them. We share this promise with you.

Another reason we believe this is a worthy thing to do, is that we want our older children to see that growing up in God, is important. By taking time out to declare our commitment and asking for prayer and support, hopefully they will understand a little more the reasons we have for the decisions we make. This is another way to show them that we love them and their present and future is at the fore of our minds. We are DEDICATED to them.

We have dedicated all of our children to God in our hearts and in our home. Tomorrow, we will dedicate our children to Him in front of our friends and fellow Christians. I humbly hope to one day be able to help younger women love their children better.

Happy Mother's Day. I pray your day is filled with joy and fullness with the gift you have been given. If you aren't a momma, remember and love your momma. I also pray for all those whose arms ache for children and for those who celebrate this day without their moms. I know all to well that this day can bring pain. May God give you comfort and rest in His promises.

One blessed momma who wants to be dedicated,

Anna