It’s been awhile since I’ve written an update on little Tyler. But he is growing and changing so much I thought you’d all like to hear how he is doing! He is just over 5 months old now and last week had his check-up with the doctor. Usually babies have their checkups at four and six months, but we were transitioning to Compass and didn’t have the insurance set up yet, so he had his four month check-up at five months. He is healthy and had all his immunizations. Tyler is in the 50th percentile for head circumference and height, but 70th for weight! I haven’t weighed him in awhile so I was very surprised when the scale read sixteen pounds!

Bobby and I laughed when the doctor said, “He’ll probably be crawling this time next week.” How could he know that!? But ever since that appointment we’ve noticed that Tyler can scooch around pretty good up on his hands and he is rolling over all over the place. So I guess we’ll see, he’s got a few days left in order to prove the doctor’s prediction true or not!

A couple of weeks ago we were a part of a child dedication at church. I gave this a lot of thought beforehand because I realize that something like a dedication really does nothing for the child. In fact it is almost more a dedication of the parents who want to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). A dedication cannot do anything spiritually for a child and is no assurance that the child will later become a believer. Bobby and I wanted to be a part of it because we want our brothers and sisters at Compass to keep us accountable to train him up in the way he should go. Since we were able to do that I’ve been encouraged by several older mothers who have talked with me about parenting and given me some helpful advice.

One example I found of a child being dedicated to God is in 1 Samuel where Hannah gives Samuel to the Lord. I am sure you remember the story of Hannah and how her husband Elkanah had two wives and the other wife mocked Hannah because she was barren. Hannah was grieved and wept year after year because she desired a child but it was not the Lord’s time. One day she went up to the temple and made a vow to the Lord that if He would look on her situation and grant her a child that she would give that child back to the Lord all the days of his life (1 Samuel 1:11).

The Lord heard her and gave her in addition to Samuel, three sons and two daughters. After Samuel was born she took him to the temple and gave him back to the Lord. As I read her story I was reminded that Tyler isn’t really ours either. He belongs to the Lord and has merely been entrusted to us and we want to give him back to the Lord, not just in formal dedication but as a day-to-day commitment as we raise him like Proverbs 22:6 urges–