Today, was a significant day. Not only was it Rachael's first Mother's Day but it was also the day that we chose to have Haley formally dedicated to the Lord. The heart of baby dedication can be seen in 1 Samuel 1:11a (NLT), "And she made this vow, 'O Lord Almighty, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you." Hannah desperately wanted a child and in her desperation she promised that if the Lord would bless her with a child, she would GIVE HIM BACK TO THE LORD.
Hannah understood that what we have has been given to us by the Lord. The things we "own" aren't ours in reality but only ours to manage. It's the same with children. The children the Lord blessed us with belong to him ultimately. He has given us the responsibility of raising them up in the ways of the Lord. We will be held accountable for what we do with what we've been given, children included.
So today, when we participated in this ceremony of baby dedication, as parents Rachael & I returned to the Lord what was rightfully his from the beginning. We gave our daughter back to the Lord, surrendering our will and desires for our daughter's life now and forever for the desires and will that God has for her life.
Today that was a fairly easy thing to do but I'm sure there will be days in the future where this commitment to keep Haley dedicated fully to the will of the Lord will be tested.
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