Dedication

Yesterday, we attended the dedication of our grandson, Eliot.

I loved how Pastor Wiley explained that it has nothing to do with the baby. He isn't baptized or saved at that time. It is a time for the parents to publicly say that they promise to raise their child to honor and obey the Lord.

"For this child I prayed;

and Jehovah hath given me my petition which I asked of him;

therefor also I have granted him to Jehovah;

as long as he liveth he is granted to Jehovah."

(I Samuel 1:27,28)

I thought back to my own children. We didn't ever have a ceremony of dedication, but we strived each day, in whatever situation, to do what was right. We wanted our children to know who God was. We wanted them to learn to obey from the time they were little. We wanted them to know there was a consequence for sin. We wanted them to learn the joy of forgiveness.


I once heard that our children really belong to God. He gives us the honor of caring them for a while. I found that when my children left home, to be on their own, that is when I truly dedicated them to the Lord.


I had to let go and say, "Lord, this child is Yours. You love him more than I ever could. Lord, I trust You to guide him and teach him and protect him. I give him back to You."