Count the Cost

Baby dedications are special events in the life of a family and a church. As parents we promise to raise our child as best we can to serve and love Jesus Christ and the Lord God Jehovah, but do any of us really know what that means?

We have three children, two grand children (come next February), and a wedding before year's end. So the family is growing and life shows no signs of slowing down.

I want to focus on our youngest child--Amy. She has been active all her life. She did short mission work at a trailer park not far from here. She spent a week working on a vacation bible school for kids who rarely if ever saw the inside of a church.

Then she went on short term missions overseas. She ventured to Poland to work at an English language camp. She will tell you she did not expect anything radical to happen, but it did.

You see it comes down to that dedication thing--where we parents stand up before God and promise to teach our kids about the Bible and salvation and walking the talk. Are you prepared for where it might lead?

Amy went on three or four Polish mission trips. I've lost count, because my son was doing the same thing. Only Amy decided she wanted to do more than week every summer. We found a Polish Language tutor--a wonderful woman named Elizabeth, and over a two year period, Amy learned the basics.

So where is Amy today? In Poland. She's spending a year in language school. Already she managed to hook up with some missionaries and actually did some translation work for a Norway team. If you haven't guessed, Amy intends to become a full time missionary.

So while some folks around here worry about their teenager heading off for college either in state or out, my concerns are bit broader.

Am I concerned? Yes. But you know, Amy did not get here by herself. It seems God is opening the doors and mapping her life. WIll I be flying to Poland and beyond?

You betcha, but here again God is good. We live in a marvelous age where we can talk on the phone, send email and video mail, and cross seven timezones in half a day.

Just a word of caution, count the cost when you dedicate your child, because God will take you at your word. Do I have an regrets? Nope. Do I miss her? Yep. Do I worry? Sometimes. But mostly I'm glad she can pursue the journey God has layed on her heart.