1 Samuel 1:27

"I have prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked."

This verse is SO true.  Ryan and I used to pray every morning on our way to work (we rode together for the first 3 years of being married because we both worked downtown), and every day we prayed for the children we would one day have.  Then that day didn't exactly happen when I wanted it to, so I prayed even harder.  I think God was just preparing me to be a better mom and wife and to trust in Him.  During the waiting, a good friend of mine and former college roommate shared with me the book of 1 Samuel and the story of Hannah.  So when I'd get really down, I'd turn to 1 Samuel and read the book.  It was encouraging to me.

Stepping off my soap box - we dedicated Cole yesterday.  Spent hours looking for the perfect outfit (which almost didn't fit yesterday when we put it on), invited our families to share in the dedication, cleaned the house for everyone to come over for lunch afterwards, grocery shopped for lunch, made tea and lemonade, and made sure we had a bottle with plenty of milk for the dedication after our church service.  Yup.  You cannot plan everything. You'd think I'd know this by now.  Fed him right before we left the house, he finally fell asleep at the end of the service, and I was hoping he'd stay asleep.  Nope.  He woke up right as we were all lining up in the front.  Then our pastor started about 4 or 5 babies down from us.  And the screaming commenced.  I'm not talking about a little whining.  I mean full on, I'm dying, you're stepping on me, stop pinching me screaming.  So I go to get the bottle.  Right.  I shook it and milk went EVERYWHERE.  Took the lid off and re-screwed it on.  Tipped it up and milk went all over him.  And he's still screaming.  Hysterically.  Needless to say, all my planning did nothing for the fact that my baby was starving.  He was lifted up to God and his lungs got an extra blessing. :)  And the verse they shared was 1 Samuel 1:27.

Now the whole dedicating part.  It's super scary to offer your baby up to God and say use him to do something amazing for your kingdom, God.  SUPER. SCARY.  What if God's way of using him is to take him away?  This is when, once again, I have to rely on God that whatever happens in my baby's life really is what God wants. 

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