Thursday, July 9, 2009

Acorns 2 Oaks

Finally, my blog name change post!

We dedicated Stephen on Father's Day. That was a few weeks ago already! I'm still trying to catch up on here. We were eager to dedicate him to the Lord pretty much as soon as possible after he was born, and we thought Father's Day would be an extra special time to do it. Afterall, we dedicated him to our heavenly Father, and he's named after his Daddy who loves him so much (Mommy does too). I really wanted to post some pictures, but we don't have any! I'm quite sad about this. We didn't take our camera out in our haste to make it to the front after coming in from a feeding time. My mom had theirs, but it was set to video on accident, and the battery ran out within a minute. Thankfully, Matt and Megan taped it for us so we will have it on DVD, but pictures are only in our memory. Here are the only pictures from the afternoon.


Daddy and son matched!



After saying our vows (with the arch blanket over Stephen that we said our wedding vows under), and my Dad praying over him, I added a portion of a song/prayer for Stephen: "A Mother's Prayer" by Rachel Aldous. I would've probably just used the song somehow but didn't have time to get it, so I read it (with tears). I just think it's absolutely beautiful, and yes every time I hear it, the tears come. You see, I'm all about the meaningful things. I searched and searched for a good dedication song. They are hard to come by! I heard this and could not stop listening to it (it has about 78,000 hits, and I'm probably 70,000 of them...haha) and praying the words over my son.



Then when my dad walked Stevie around the church for the people to get a better look at him, we had the more familiar, "I Want to be Just Like You" playing by Phillips, Craig, and Dean.

I think all parents dream and hope for big things for their children. For me, it has been my desire since a little girl to have children. Stephen is an absolute blessing and miracle. You see, it took a little more time than we were hoping it would to get pregnant. I went through rounds of testing and started herbs and other supplements (I preferred to try more natural supplements first). It was thought it may take me a couple more years when my hormonal levels just weren't getting there, but lo and behold, last September, we were so excited to finally see a plus! I am convinced God breathed his breath into Stephen's very being. My body was doing some weird things at the time, and I can't help but think a Spiritual battle was going on inside me and God willed Stephen into being. I believe He has some big things in store for our little guy, our crowned gift of God, and since conception, for that was when his life began, well, actually, even before he was conceived, it has been my dream and hope that our child/children would grow to be "oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor." Oaks are so strong. We desire Stephen and any future children to find strength in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As they seek Him and grow in their relationship with Him, we pray that relationship will be reflected with purposeful, righteous lives for Him...for His glory, that all may know it is Him who gives us life, the Creator of all things, our Savior, the Beginning and the End. Isn't that our very reason for living? We were created for His glory and splendor! So right now, Stevie is sort of a little acorn. We pray he grows into an oak with deep roots planted in Him, for Him. It is our desire also, that we as individuals, a married couple, parents, will continue growing into oaks as well. I'm a visual person, so I appreciate the visual examples and metaphors used in the Bible. When Matt and I were first courting, our first Christmas, I gave Matt a little wooden box filled with acorns with this verse, Psalm 1 ("Blessed is the man..."), and Deuteronomy 26:18 (being God's treasured possessions). We hope to plant those acorns at our first house someday...haha, if they're still good. Then as a wedding gift to Matt for our family, I got "The Oak Inside the Acorn" by Max Lucado. It's a great children's book about growing into who we were created to be. So, Matt and I hope to be 2 examples of oaks for our child/children as they grow from acorns to oaks themselves.

1 comment:

Matt and Megan said...

Becky,

I love the way you write. You have such a gift for capturing just the right words of inspiration.

We have the dedication on DVD (I just keep forgetting to bring it to you...sorry). Also, I think we can capture still shots from the video clip...I'll try it and see if we can get you some actual photos from the day. I'm sure it would be nice to scrapbook them sometime.

Thanks for sharing the story behind the "acorns to oaks". That is an incredible visual of how God created us to grow in Him.