Mary's Dedication Letter

Dear Little Mary,

It is such a privilege for daddy and me to welcome you into our family and to stand before our family and friends and promise to bring you up in a godly way. It is with very grateful hearts that we acknowledge the Lord’s hand in the protection of your life during your birth, and we look forward with much anticipation to watching His hand on you as you grow in the years to come. You are most certainly a blessing to us, and we love you very much.

When I think of Mary, the mother of Jesus, after whom you were named, I see some of the qualities daddy and I promise to train in you. First, Mary knew the word of God! In the sovereignty of God, you were born on your sister Hannah’s birthday, and how interesting it is to note that Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1 is quite a reflection of Hannah’s prayer in I Samuel. How honored I will be if one day you have such a deep understanding of God’s Word like these two godly women. Daddy and I promise to spend many hours teaching you God’s Word and teaching you to memorize and meditate on His Word. I can even guarantee you will hear many sermons (from a great pastor) that will teach you to think rightly about the Word of God. Our earnest desire is that you grow up to have the same love that we have for the Word of God.

Mary was also a very humble woman. Daddy and I want nothing more for you than that you will one day submit every aspect of your life to the Lord. That in humility you will surrender your will to the One whose mercy is on those who fear Him. That the Word of God will do its work in your life and grow you into a godly woman who seeks after God’s heart. We promise to teach you to humbly accept what God has in store for your life.

In her humility, Mary was obedient to the will of the Lord. Obedience is probably one of the biggest things that daddy and I need to promise to teach you. The greatest way to show love is to obey. It is the desire of our hearts that you will one day show your love to God by obeying His commandments. Not only do we want you to know what the Lord requires of you, but that you put that knowledge into practice in all of your life.

We sincerely hope that your siblings will play a vital role in helping you learn to be a godly woman (your brothers will teach patience and longsuffering for sure), but daddy and I know we are the ones responsible to God for the way we raise you. We promise to equip you to be a submissive wife, a loving mother, and above all, a woman that pleases the Lord in all that she does. Saying all this, we recognize that your decision to follow the Lord is not one we can make for you. We pray that by grace you will be saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We love you very much and know that our children are a heritage from the LORD and a reward from Him. We are very happy that you have joined our little quiver.

Love,
Mom and Dad