God Bless Thea

Today was Thea's dedication at church. Our church is a non denominational Christian church and we do not practice infant baptism. Instead we wait until the child makes the choice for himself and then they get a full on dunking. I remember my baptism and I am hoping that my daughters choose to be baptized as well, but I am happy to leave that up to them.
The dedication ceremony is our way of committing to raising Thea in a Christian home and to do our best to teach her to live as Christ would want. It is very important to me, because I take the pledge seriously. We may not have the best attendance record at church, and I do not claim to be a perfect example of Christian life, but it is important to me to do my best to live as Christ lived. Whether or not my children grow to have a strong faith in God, I want them to grow up thinking of others and practicing empathy and compassion, as Jesus did. We are so blessed to have our family and our congregation behind us as we all pledge to raise Thea in our Church family.

For this event, I requested one of my favorite of the traditional dedication songs, here are the lyrics:

I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry

I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.

I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
In a blaze of light you wandered off
to find where demons dwell.

When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;
You were raised to praise the living Lord,
to whom you now belong.

If you find someone to share your time
and you join your hearts as one,
I’ll be there to make your verses rhyme
from dusk ’till rising sun.

In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I’ll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I’ve begun.

When the evening gently closes in,
and you shut your weary eyes,
I’ll be there as I have always been
with just one more surprise.

I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.