Baby Dedication

Becoming a mommy is a life-altering event that you'll never forget. Even more exciting is the fact that God created your child with a special plan and a purpose. Like any Christian parent, it is my desire to see Julianna bloom into a God fearing woman who serves the Lord. Today Jesse and I dedicated her to God, promising that we'll raise her to be an obedient follower of Christ in front of the entire congregation.If you're not familiar with the Baptist faith, baptism is an event that takes place once the child is old enough to understand the scriptures. The dedication is an event for your child to be prayed over and to promise everyone that your child is going to grow up with Godly parents. I currently attend services at a Baptist church but wanted to include some traditions from my Catholic upbringing. Julianna wore a traditional Christening gown and a special cake awaited everyone after service. I almost cried today while seeing how angelic Julianna appeared with her pale skin, big blue eyes and white dress.

                                           Getting ready to attend the Sunday  service.

                         Julianna with Grammy and Grandpa before entering the church.

                                             A close up of my beautiful little angel.

         Here I am telling the church how I pray for my daughter to love and serve Christ.

                                          Julianna wants to give her two cents.

                           

Beauty According to the Bible's Standards

I felt good putting on my medium size Gap sweater and size 10 pre-pregnancy jeans before heading out to run an errand. Much to my surprise the jeans were actually lose fitting, indicating that I shrunk down to a smaller size after having a baby. While inside the store another shopper found herself drawn to my 6 month old daughter's charming behavior. I gladly welcomed the comments on how cute Julianna is, but my jaw dropped when she asked when my next baby was due. After I explained that I wasn't expecting a baby she remarked that I must still be carrying around baby fat. I was upset to see how this woman made false assumptions, and even more angered by our culture's beauty standards.

I thought about what my life would be like if I fit into a size 6, only to realize how miserable I would be. A small size would mean counting every calorie, never being able to splurge on desserts and still feeling hungry after each meal. It also occurred to me that being a size 10 isn't an indicator that you've neglected your body. I don't make purchases from the junk food aisle on a regular basis. I avoid processed foods, load up on fresh veggies for snacks and go for walks on a daily basis. Sure I enjoy an occasional pilgrimage to the golden arch but it's only as a monthly treat.

Tonight the Holy Spirit reminded me that I am no longer a slave to our culture's unrealistic expectations."It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery" (Gal 5:1 NIV). I'm free from comparing myself to the models in women's magazines. Free from carrying around an obsession about being thin. Free to be content as the medium sized princess God created me to be.

As I clothe myself in Holiness, it's important to see what a princess is supposed to look like. According to the king of kings my outward appearance must show fruits of the spirit. Love, joy, patience, faith and gentleness are only some of the traits others must see in me. Before I put on my make-up each morning, I must also remember to give myself a spiritual makeover. The Bible is here to show me how to wear the fruits of the spirit while untangling my own sinful nature. Only then will I experience true freedom in Christ.

This Week's Challenge

Long conversations with the king of kings used to be one of my daily morning rituals. I spoke of my dreams, asked for help with my weaknesses and requested that the Lord would bless those around me. I even kept a prayer journal with written requests of trials family members and friends wished to be delivered from. Every day I would faithfully lift up the requests to God believing they would be answered. If God created the universe, why wouldn't I trust that he could heal someone, intervene in the finances or solve everyday problems?

By accessing the heavens, God's blessings poured out into the lives of my family members and friends. A family facing financial difficulties saw new doors open to them in the area of employment. Physical healings manifested for those facing illnesses. I even saw answers to prayer concerning trivial everyday matters in my own life.

While I'd like to say that I remained faithful with this practice, daily conversations with God took the back burner. I still talk to God, but usually it's at the end of the day when I'm exhausted and they tend to be briefer. I used the busy season of being a new mommy as an excuse when in fact it was a choice. I manage to spend 30 minutes on facebook everyday catching up with family and friends but not my savior.

Tonight the Holy Spirit led me to 2 different Bible passages. Both verses informed me about how seriously God values our time and our first fruits. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mark 1:35 NIV). "In the morning, O Lord you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation" (Psalm 5:3 NIV). It became very obvious that prayer in the morning is what the creator desires, not simply someone spending all of their energy serving others throughout the day. By seeking God first I am inviting the Lord to take over my thought processes, priorities and intervene in any challenges each new day presents.

The Lord also brought it to my attention that it is still POSSIBLE to have an active walk with him during a season of busyness. I looked back to my college days and how I still maintained an active walk with the Lord. I managed to take on a full course load at the college, (one of the classes being an accelerated history class), work the evening shift at a nearby restaurant Monday-Friday, plan a wedding and spend at least 30 minutes praying each day. My days started at 5:30 am and often didn't end until 1:00 am. Yet I still managed to have the energy and help from the Lord to maintain a demanding schedule.

Here I am at another stage in my life enjoying the full-time job of motherhood. My husband and I are moving into a new house, I'm helping my mother recover from surgery and to top it off my dryer just broke. With everything going on in my life, I simply can't afford not to invite the Lord into my circumstances 1st thing in the morning.

So for this week I will pick up my Bible and go before the throne of God with my prayers and petitions after I wake up. Why not put myself in the position to activate the angels?