Dedication Sunday

We dedicated Robbie and our new little family to the Lord on Sunday at our church (Wheaton Bible Church).  We love the way our church frames this decision - they are very clear that this is in no way tied to Robbie's salvation, and that he still has to make a personal decision when he is older to surrender his life to Jesus Christ (if that is his choice, which we pray it is!).  The church calls it a "Family Dedication" rather than just a baby dedication, because Rob and I are making a public statement that we will raise Robbie with the knowledge of who Jesus is, and take responsibility for his spiritual growth and discipleship.  This is primarily our responsibility - not the church's, or his teachers' at school or his grandparents' (although they may help along the way).

We chose Philippians 1:9-11 as Robbie's dedication verse:

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God."

We pray that Robbie is spiritually wise and marked with love and humility as he grows up, and that he is able to discern Truth and cling to it.  We often wonder what he will face when he is older - what his little eyes will see, what challenges he will face if he chooses Christ, what injustice will be commonplace at the time.  But we also dream about the great love he might also have for God, and what great purpose God might have for Robbie's life for His glory.  We pray for a strong heart for him, and for far-reaching ministry in whatever capacity God chooses for Robbie.

Needless to say, it was a special day - and we were thankful for those in our family that were able to be with us, and who supported us as we made this public decision.