Beginning down the path

Grace your baptism was Sunday and I could tell lots of stories about Jackie calling another baby whiny or not liking the idea of papa getting you wet but I have a different memory in mind for you today. I am going to tell you about the path to get to now... Grandma and papa got you a baptism bowl and put the verse "trust in The Lord with all you heart lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight" on it. It's a family verse and I have talked about it before but want to remind you today that God says if we trust him he will make the path straight. Not that he will help us down our path but that if we trust him and we choose to walk his path it will be straight.

A long time ago when I was a junior in high school I knew I wanted a career in art, papa thought that could maybe be in architecture so he encouraged me to take drafting, at first I was not sure but then I found out it could be my computer credit and I was all for it. I hated computer class typing and programming were not for me, (remember what I said about Gods path being different from our own, now a days I teach computers.) Anyway I signed up for and took drafting. The drafting teacher convinced me that if I joined the first team I could gain art experience designing tee shirts and buttons and the I would learn to weld and could paint the robot. So I joined. Welding was taught by a loud annoying senior who thought he ran the team, I did my best to avoid him, but the two of us kept getting stuck on joint projects, ( I never would have thought when I met him that someday I would marry him.) like I said your dad was a senior and hated school he was ready to graduate and go get a job, at the start of his senior year he had no plans of going to college. An internship/scholarship at transmatic convinced him to get an associates degree in machine tooling. At that time in life I very clearly remember your father saying that he could never work a desk job ( or course now he does and he loves his work, in fact his two year degree became a four and he is talking about getting a masters). When we started dating in high school, I assumed the relationship would die out when Adam headed off to college, and no one expected it to last though me working summers at camp, but some how it did.

Do you get it Grace... What I am saying is that the paths your dad and I would have chosen for ourselves are not the road we are on, we have had to let go and trust God to lead us down his path.  And trust me we could not be happier with where we are today. God has great things in store for you if you will let him lead you, but you must be willing to give God control of where you are going. That's hard for me I like to be in control, I want to know the path ahead, and I can be a little stubborn about it. I am sometime frustrated when God doesn't let me do or have what I want, but when I look back it is clear to see he always has a plan and his plan is always better than mine. " for I know the plans I have for you declares The Lord plans to give you hope and a future." I don't know Gods plan for your life but I take comfort in knowing he has a plan for you, I can say with confidence that he loves you and he will guide you down the right path if you will allow him too. Baptism is this first step of your relationship with God.

As I hold you sleeping in my arms I pray that you come to know God, as a father, a savior and a friend. I pray the you trust his guidance even when it is hard and you want to go another way. I pray that you are reassured by his love for you each and every day and you you find refuge in his compassion and forgiveness. I ask that He protect you with his strength cover you with his abundant mercy and joy. Finally I pray that he helps me be a better mom and a better christian tomorrow then I am today so that I can be an example to you and Jacqueline.

I love you Grace.