Children are scary. They have tantrums, they sometimes smell, and they pull my hair. For some insane reason, despite these truths, my husband and I desperately wanted a child.
After several years of patiently trying to have a baby, praying for God’s blessing, and maintaining our faith that God had a purpose for us and our family, we were overjoyed to discover we were expecting TWINS! And everything changed…
We quickly forgot how scary children are. The smell grew on us. I cut my hair.
Long before they were born, we began praying that God would make us the parents He wanted us to be. We began surrounding ourselves with Christ-following parents who we could lean on when necessary.
When Samuel and Scarlett were born, we asked several friends and family members to help us raise these precious babies in an environment that would bring them closer to God. We asked them to support us, pray for us, and redirect us when we got off course. We felt like a ceremony celebrating these commitments would be appropriate.
We had heard of baby dedications and we thought that would be a wonderful opportunity for us to make commitments to our children along with those who agreed to help us. We also knew that God would work through that event in the hearts of those in attendance who needed to open their hearts, ears, and minds to Him.
We were told that Blue Ridge used to have a Baby Dedication service but hadn’t had one in quite some time for a number of reasons. We opted to have a private Baby Dedication, led by Todd and Shea Foster.
It was one of the most sincere and special days of our lives.
They guided us through the process and had us write letters to our babies to be read aloud during the service. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as we devoted ourselves to some of the most important and precious commitments we may ever make. So many of our friends and family members there that day commented on how special the ceremony was because it was real.
While a Baby Dedication ceremony was not biblically required, we believe it was extremely important in setting the framework for the kind of parents we want to be. We also believe that God worked through that ceremony to help other parents in attendance regain focus on God’s will for them and their families.
Fast forward a few months and as I sat next to my husband Whit in service and heard a message on gifts. During the service I was thinking a little harder about gifts that facilitate people being reached on a deeper level to bring them closer to Christ. And then it hit me. Children! What will ignite passion, good or bad, in a parent faster than anything else? Their children!
The most soft-spoken parent will turn into a grizzly bear if another kid hits their kid with a plastic ball in the ball pit at Chick-Fil-A. The toughest, most hard-hearted person can be reduced to tears by the beauty of a child. I believe we can and should do everything possible to bring parents closer to Christ, especially when their children are very young. We should help them commit to a parental foundation that is pleasing to God. We should help them identify their Christ-following parental support group early.
This all led to Whit and I asking Blue Ridge’s leadership if we could help coordinate a Child Dedication service. If you're interested in dedicating your child(ren) in a future service, check out this page.
I have personally seen God open my eyes through our babies in ways I never knew were possible. Being a mama is a huge responsibility. Being a Christian mama whose greatest desire for her children is to know, love, and obey God is the most magnificent and challenging role I will ever fill. I so desperately want to give other Blue Ridge parents the opportunity to make this commitment.