Noah's Baptism

Last weekend was a little crazy but a lot of special. Friday, Noah came down with his first ear infection (just in time for Grandma and Grandpa to arrive from Florida). Saturday, we toured houses for sale (fun) and then I got food poisoning (not so fun). Sunday, Noah was baptised, and we celebrated afterward at our house with friends and family.

I discovered a couple of things through the experience:

1. I'm glad we baptise babies in our church. When Josh and I first joined, we weren't familiar with the practice and weren't sure we would embrace it. After several conversations, some reading, and a good 6 month Sunday school study, we decided to make it part of our family. Now, I really appreciate it. At least in my mind, it made this day particularly special. The invitations, the gown, the cake, the pictures, the flowers - it all pointed to the fact that this is a big deal. Someday, we'll tell Noah about his baptism, about what it means to be a part of God's covenant with his people, and about how many people he has supporting him as he grows, learns, and walks with God.

2. I honestly did not know how often we would be sick once Noah entered our lives. Flu season has a whole new meaning (even if we haven't gotten the flu). If we're not sharing a cold, we're passing around a stomach bug or low-grade fever. It is so tempting to get bogged down in the illness - to let it control our lives. This weekend, I think God was reminding me that while we do need to respect and take care of our bodies, we can trust him with the details. My parents stayed with us for 4 days and Mom held Noah for most of that time. She has an autoimmune disease, yet God (and constant hand-washing) protected her from the bugs we were passing around. Furthermore, I got sick on Saturday but had recovered within 12 hours so we were able to move forward with the baptism - no small miracle. Finally, it was really sweet to see how my family gathered round to fill in the gaps and make it a beautiful event.