Child Dedication Is More Than A Moment
Title: Moses Forbids People To Follow Him
Artist: James Tissot
Year: c.1896 - c.1902
Child dedication has a special place in my heart. Over the past three years, I have been able to dedicate my two children just weeks after their birth. The moments of standing on stage, holding my newborn, and looking at other new parents trying to do their best is burned into my memory and, as it once was said about Mary… treasured in my heart.
A fear exists as a parent, and it is understandable. You don't know what to do half the time and you definitely are overwhelmed by a million different emotions. I mean, think about that moment of walking out of a hospital for the first time carrying your baby. You quickly realize that hospitals are there to help you have your kid but not raise your kid. It is your and your alone responsibility to help your child be the best they can be.
Talk about pressure.
That's why we often choose to participate in things like child dedications at our local churches. However, we have to remember that Child dedication is more than a moment; it's a mission.
Thankfully, like in every other area of life, scripture provides an excellent foundation for parenting. A specific scripture has been used for centuries to help parents establish a framework for leading their children to find what matters.
This framework is called the Shema, Pronounced Shuh-maw, not She-muh, as I originally pronounced it in Bible college. This was and is one of the critical tenets of the Jewish faith. It's a section of scripture taught as a daily prayer; kids memorize it, and it's even part of the end-of-life procedure.
The moral of the story is that the Shema is a huge deal and has been for a long time. What does that teach us? Raising your family in the way of the Lord is one of the most important things you could ever do. This moment is basically one of the first child dedication ceremonies performed in a full congregation.
Dedicating your child to be raised in the way of the Lord is a lifelong commitment that will have its ups and downs. That means you still need guidelines.
Let's examine that scripture together to better understand how we can best raise this generation.
Here are three tips from The Shema to help us parent to the best of our ability.
1. Lead yourself first.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”
Leading your family starts first and foremost with you. If you aren't leading yourself, you won't be able to lead your family in the way that you should. Things will take priority, you will feel too busy, and suddenly, you will have drifted off a path you don't want to go down.
So you must ask yourself: Who is your God? Is it Jesus? Is it your wife? Is it your kids? Is it your kid's sports team? Is it your favorite sports team? Is it your truck?
If it's anyone other than Jesus, you have answered wrong. That will cascade into many other problems with your decision-making, emotional state, and clarity in life. The good news is that you can decide today to change that. Lead yourself first by loving the Lord the most right now.
2. Don’t waste time.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7, “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
As the Orange group has pointed out, and I have to remind myself constantly, you have about 936 weeks between birth and graduation on average. I have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, and time already feels like it is running out. That makes me incredibly sad, but I can't sit in sorrow. I have to get up and get moving because every moment that I have with them matters.
I can look at driving to daycare as an obligation or an opportunity.
Bath time can be an obligation or it can be an opportunity.
The meltdown in Target can be an obligation or it can be an opportunity.
Making lunch after church can be an obligation or it can be an opportunity.
The difference? Your perspective. When you realize that your time is limited, you don't want to waste it anymore. Moses understood this better than anyone. At this time, his life was running short, and he had very little time to continue to pour into his people, so he wanted to make the most of every opportunity.
I can’t help but think of Ephesians 5:16-17 which says, “ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”
Don’t waste time. You only have 936 weeks.
3. Keep the vision in front of you.
Deuteronomy 6:8-9, “Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
This year will be my fourth year of doing child dedication at The Rock. Every time I have used the Shema and every time I have walked through the Shema, this part of the scripture has confused me. So I went to a source, and it told me about this section. Here is what it said, “Beyond literal application, these directives can also be seen metaphorically, emphasizing the importance of integrating spiritual principles into everyday actions (represented by the hand), thoughts (represented by the frontlets between the eyes), and one's environment (represented by the doorposts and gates). This interpretation suggests living a life where religious and moral principles are always present and visible in one's actions, thoughts, and surroundings.”
Long story short, there are a lot of things that can distract us. Life gets busy, jobs get busy, and kids' activities get busy. As someone with two kids, I almost feel like I am drowning in family to-do's, and I know it's only going to get busier! It is part of the season of life, and that's okay. But you have to know that to keep the vision in front of you.
I see many families lose track of their vision because they are looking elsewhere. The next thing you know, they get out of the routine of being a part of a community, staying connected to the word, and talking about the most important thing in the world. The next thing you know, as a parent, the entire family feels lost.
And they are.
Cause they lost track of the vision.
You must keep the vision in front of you. To keep the vision in front of you, we have to have spiritual aspects in everything we do. Make sure you have a habit of being a part of a church body, and if you can't make it for a weekend, attend digitally.
To keep the vision, we have to have spiritual principles in every thought. Don't drift away from thinking about the Lord. The easiest way to do that is to stay in your word.
To keep the vision, we must have spiritual principles in our environment. What are you doing at home? In the car? At the practice? Are you keeping a Christ-focused environment, or is that only when you attend a church service? That matters.
Parenting is hard. There is no doubt about that. But God has uniquely gifted you to do everything you need to do to remain dedicated to raising your child in The Lord. If we stay committed to him, use this framework, and allow him to work in the gifts that he has given us, we are giving our children the best possible chance to follow The Lord with their lives. We can't make that decision for them, we can't completely control them, but we can play our part while The Lord and our children play theirs.
I'm willing to dedicate my life to that. Child dedication is more than a moment; it's a mission.
About The Artwork
Title: Moses Forbids People To Follow Him
Artist: James Tissot
Year: c.1896 - c.1902
Where is this at: The Jewish Museum in New York City
Fun Fact: I can’t find one. But hey it looks cool.