Dedication Day

Last Sunday, September 11, we dedicated Gavin. It seemed a little strange to be dedicating a child on 9/11, but also very appropriate. What better way to declare that we have hope and a future, that we are not afraid, that we trust God. We are reminded that God holds Gavin's future and he couldn't be in better hands. While I would like to be the ultimate authority in Gavin's life, I don't understand as well as God does what is best for Gavin and how to take care of him. Jeff and I cannot be with him always; we cannot guide the surgeon's hands; we cannot protect him from Satan's schemes. But God can do all that an more, so we dedicate him to God's care. We also dedicate ourselves to bringing him up to know Jesus and to love him. That is an awesome task in our world, but with the help of God, our church, our family, and our friends, we will do everything we can to achieve that end.

We were also privileged to have three other families at our church dedicate their babies on the same day. Three families that are near and dear to us. Families that support us, love us, play with us, and advise us. We are reminded once again, that we are blessed with a wonderful church family.

On a more humorous note, we only had two hiccups in the process. It's quite a task to try to get a four-month-old to not be hungry (but not fed too recently; spit-up is still a major issue) or tired at a specific time of day. He cooperated nicely though, and we managed it. He did, however, spit up a flood on to my skirt when I fed him just before the service. So as we sang worship songs, I swished my skirt like a four-year-old in an attempt to dry it out before going onto the stage.

Also, I was concerned about Logan behaving himself. I wasn't too excited about bringing an energetic two-year-old in front of the congregation surrounded by a stage full of tempting toys like drums and guitars. I picked the wrong child to worry about. Carter didn't try to play with the instruments, but he was very bored in the two minutes that we were up there, and Jeff had his hands full trying keep him from laying down on the stage and rolling around.

And last but not least, one of the most adorable moments of the day was watching Logan during the worship songs. He's quite the little copycat, so as we sang "I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned..." he looked around at many people with their hands raised and raised his little hands, too. I wish I'd gotten a picture, but instead, I just teared up and enjoyed the moment. I hope before long he's raising his hands with full knowledge that he is lifting his hands to the Lord.

What a good day.