Reading the letter to Solomon.

On Sunday night we gathered with family and some close friends to dedicate our 1 year old son Solomon to the Lord. As part of this process, we were asked to write a letter to Solomon expressing our dreams and goals for him, especially as it pertains to his walk with the Lord. Since I thought this might be of interest to some of my readers (are any of you still out there, after all my negligence with this blog?). Here is that letter.

——————————————————————————–

Our Precious Solomon,

Today we celebrate you as God’s gift to us. We bring you here to celebrate, but also to dedicate you back to the One who gave you to us. We recognize that you are nothing less than a blessed gift from our heavenly Father. We were so surprised to discover you were on your way, and were filled with thanks and gratitude. May you never doubt how loved and precious you are. Your Mommy was delighted to have you growing inside of her, and Daddy, Abby, Jaden, and Naomi were all eager to meet you. We believe that all this time God was preparing us to welcome you into our family.

As we discussed what to name you, using Isaac as your middle name was natural. You brought such joy and laughter to our family even before you came out into the world. We chose the name Solomon for you for several reasons. First, it connects you in name to the Jewish background in Daddy’s family. Also, we obviously wish for you to have the wisdom that Solomon had because he asked for it from God (1 Kings 3.1-15). But most importantly, we chose your name because it is connected with the root shalom in Hebrew, meaning peace. Since you are a gift from our Messiah, who is called the Prince of Peace, we pray that you will grow up to be a man who follows the example of Jesus. Here are some verses that we hope will become true of you as you grow.

• Matthew 5.9: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
• Matthew 5.43-48: You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor’ and `hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? And if you only greet the brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? So then be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
• Luke 6.27-28: But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
• Romans 12.17-21: Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance  is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
• Ephesians 6.12: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

We pray that you will become a young man filled with wisdom, but also a man who works for peace with all men. As you do this, we pray that you will do battle with our true enemy, but never forget the value that every person has to the One who made all men and women in His own image. We pray that what was said of Jesus in Luke 2.52 would be true of you as you grow: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.”

With all of our love,

Daddy, Mommy, Abigail, Jaden, and Naomi