This past weekend we got to experience a wonderful event with Benjamin, his dedication at our church here in Denver. Not only was it special because we got to profess our desire to raise Benjamin in a house filled with love and faith, but we also got to share the day with his best little buddy, Boaz.
An old African proverb talks about it taking a village to raise a child... and after being a mom for (a whopping) seven months, I can whole-heartedly say this is without a doubt true. Being a mom can be a lonely time - yes, you have this adorable baby to care for and play with, but you also face challenges, adequacy issues, and
what the heck do I do moments on a regular basis. Sometimes these things weigh you down... and keep you down. Often times these things can make you feel isolated from the rest of the seemingly sane world. But thankfully, we are
not alone in this journey called parenting.
For Benjamin, Matt and I, we have been blessed with an entire village that surrounds us with love, support, guidance, and care. I often forget (and take for granted) how truly amazing it is to know that if trouble came upon us, without question our friends and family would be right there by our sides. We are
not alone! As we have recently been dealing with a lot of suffering and grief alongside several dear friends, I am saddened and distraught by their difficult trials yet at the same time filled with joy by how beautiful the practicing of compassion, friendship, community, love, and selflessness is. I have seen friends reach out and truly
care for one another. And I'm talking in amazing ways. The ways that I can only imagine God really intended. And it is
this community that I am so thankful and grateful we have as we raise our son.
So with that in mind, we were overjoyed to dedicate our son at Denver Community Church on Sunday right alongside our amazing friends and their wonderful son. We didn't know them only a few years ago, but I can't even imagine our lives without them now. Somehow standing up on the stage with them felt so much bigger and symbolic to me than I expected. In short, God is good. And having Matt's dad there to be able to pray for Benjamin was icing on the cake :)
Benjamin was very interested in the mic..
We celebrated after the service at a nearby park and had a great time with the villages of Benjamin's and Boaz's. Yes, God is good.
It is our hope that Benjamin gets to know God in an awesome way, and that we can live as authentic examples of godly love in his life. While we want to surround him with the truths and realities of the love and grace we have come to know as Christians, we don't want to force a faith on Benjamin. We want him to seek and find on his own so that his faith can be real and authentic. And with our village of beloved friends and family, I pray we can provide him with everything he needs to become a man of compassion, love, selflessness, and faith. We are grateful to God for this big task of ours, and we are grateful to dedicate Benjamin's life to Him.
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I came across this quote the other day and was reminded how important it will be to simply be real in our lives and our faiths as we guide Benjamin:
You want to mess up the minds of your children? Here’s how –
guaranteed! Rear them in a legalistic, tight context of external
religion, where performance is more important than reality. Fake your
faith. Sneak around and pretend your spirituality. Train your children
to do the same. Embrace a long list of do’s and don’ts publicly but
hypocritically practice them privately… yet never own up to the fact
that it’s hypocrisy. Act one way but live another. And you can count on
it – emotional and spiritual damage will occur. - Chuck Swindoll
