Today was Judah’s dedication at church. For those of you who don’t know what that is..it’s sort of like a baptism, but it’s not that at all really. The only similarity is that it often takes place in a church, but it certainly doesn’t have to.  It’s mainly a time of thanking God for the life of a child and praying God’s blessing over their lives and praying for the parents and family and wider church family that we would all play our parts in nurturing the life of the child spiritually and emotionally….that we would be the best family we can be.

Sunday morning was a rush out the door. I was decorating cupcakes, mentally preparing for leading worship, everyone else was busy…we forgot our camera. Typical. So there are no good pictures to remember the day. No pictures of Judah in his gorgeous little Calvin Klein outfit, (except the one above, taken later in the day)  the purple T-shirt with the guitar across the front, or the chocolate cupcakes with purple frosting decorated with minstrels.  Never mind, the day was gorgeous. The sun was shinning and it was an unusually warm Sunday in April. Many of my friends turned up and it was such a joy to share the day with them as well as my church family at New Life.

My little boy, with the mass of blonde curls that may be messy but in my opinion are unashamedly gorgeous and beautiful. Like the mane of a lion. I find myself often having to repeat his name when asked. It’s not one of the more well known biblical names, but it’s a good strong one. If you google Judah on an image search, several pictures of Lions will come up. Jesus is often called “The Lion of Judah” which always makes me think of a Lion’s mane whenever I see his beautiful curly hair. He’s also got quite the roar on him that demands to be listened to and noticed…a shriek and a cry that could break glass….not to mention everyone’s ear drums. The amount of times I’m out and about and people turn to look whenever he’s given one of his famous shouts. I’m amazed at how strong he is. He can push his four year old sister off my lap with little effort. He seems to think whatever he wants is his right to take and own and snatch off people…oh the cringe-full moments to come at playgroup..the endless apologies…..I can see it all now…my little baby Lion.  But he can smile. His giggles and laughs brighten up a room like sunshine. They seem larger than he is. He kisses with his whole head. He nurses standing on my lap with his bum in the air. He crashes into me to give me a hug with the force of a battering ram, but his cuddles are soft and sweet. Although he can make a loud noise, he can also make the sweetest little sounds, including something that sounds almost like a purr….

Judah’s name means praise. In Genesis when Leah gave birth to Judah, her fourth son she said “I will praise the Lord” Leah had had a pretty rough time of it. Her husband did not love her, she was sharing him with her sister (who he did love) and even though she managed to give her husband many children, she never won his heart. In some ways her sad story is perhaps many women’s worst nightmares. But she said “I will praise the Lord”

Life certainly does not always turn out the way we imagine it. Things happen to us that we always thought only happened to other people. We make mistakes we thought only other people make. I know I have. Yet so many amazing things happen to us that we could have never dreamed up or imagined for ourselves. Our seaming mistakes and mis steps take us to places we never ever thought we would be.  We may not be living the life we dreamed of, or the life we thought we wanted, but we are being given the incredible gift of life every single day, and each day holds a potential that is unlimited.

My Judah has existed in three different countries. He has lived in six houses, and survived four major home moves. He came into my life when words like “transition”  ”limbo” and phrases like “settling in” and “up in the air” were starting to wear thin. The ground was unsteady and it nearly swallowed us a few times within the first year of his life. Even before he was born, he’s felt like an angel to me…giving me hope and reminding me to praise God…no matter what the circumstance. When I turn to God and stop dwelling on the circumstances, I find my strength, and most importantly, I find my hope.

I sang “Desert Song” today. I first heard the song holding Judah stood at the back of a church I was visiting in the States. The words filled my soul with hope during a time when I was desperate for it. Every word of every verse resonated with where I was at that stage.  The desert, the fire, the battle….and even the harvest…all seemed to happen in the short space of a year, and through it all, I’ve known what I’ve been meant to do. To praise God for the beautiful gift of life he’s given me, not denying any reality of pain or hurt or disappointment, simply finding a place where I can praise Him in the midst of it all….because when I do that….it does not magically make the problems go away…but it reminds me of who God is…and my faith grows stronger, and I am flooded with hope.

So Judah, may you praise God in every season of your life to come. May it be an extraordinarily rich life full of blessing…but as you go through your trials, battles, and desert times…I pray that praise would rise from within you almost as an instinct. That you would be drawn to your Creator…and that you would know in the deepest parts of your heart and soul…that He is God and that he loves you more than anyone else, even me, who cannot imagine loving anything else as much as I love the beautiful family I’ve been given.

May praise be always on your lips. Psalm 34:1