Elizabeth's 13th Birthday

Elizabeth turned 13 a week ago Sunday. We had a small family celebration for her that day, but we had a larger celebration for her this past Saturday evening. We had a similar party for Grace when she turned 13.

Our prayer as parents is that we would raise responsible adults who love the Lord Jesus. It's very common in our society for people to shrug their shoulders and say, "that's just teenagers." When Matt and I mark our childrens' 13th birthdays in a special and meaningful way, our intention is the set the bar higher than the very low standard Americans tend to have for teenagers.

Despite moving the party date up two weeks earlier than we had originally planned and despite the fact that it felt like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong (from the church reception area being double booked to discovering right before dinner was to be served that one of the electric roasters had malfunctioned and the contents it held were still raw), the evening was lovely. (It must be noted that our adopted "aunt," Suzy, was a lifesaver. While I was busy losing my mind, she and her husband, Roger, were busy salvaging the dinner. Many others stepped in to help set up and take down.)

After everyone had eaten, we had a time of worship and blessing for Elizabeth. We began by singing Elizabeth's hymn choice, "Rock of Ages." Our friend Sande very graciously stepped in at the last moment to accompany us on the piano. She did a fabulous job despite the short notice and the fact that she didn't even have all the music!

After we sang, Matt took Elizabeth up front so that she could sit in a chair next to her hope chest. Matt and I had a small brass plate engraved to attach to the inside lid of the chest to mark the occasion. It reads, "Handed down from Great Grandma Ethel. Presented to Elizabeth Macduff January 2012. Romans 8:37-39." A picture of Great Grandma Ethel was placed near the hope chest as a visible reminder of the woman who gave life to her family in so many ways.

After Matt explained the meaning of "hope," I got up and spoke for a bit. I spoke of fond memories of Elizabeth as a child, how her Daddy and I desire most for her to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and how she is beginning to display many of the lifegiver qualities that her Great Grandmother Ethel exhibited in her life time.

Matt then asked our family and friends to share the Bible verses they brought with them. This, by far, was the most special time of the evening. Friends and family got up one by one and shared not only their verses, but special words of blessing for Elizabeth.
Then Matt placed his hands on Elizabeth's head and pronounced more words of blessing over her. To end the worship time, we sang, "I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry." I don't think there were too many dry eyes in the house by the time the worship came to a close.
We ended the evening by enjoying dessert and perusing the contents of Elizabeth's hope chest. Before the party, Matt and I had placed books that our family has enjoyed (The Little House on the Prairie Series, Anne of Green Gables, etc.), a couple of our family's favorite cookbooks and a few hand embroidered and crocheted linens inside the hope chest. Someday, God willing, Elizabeth will be able to use these items in her own home with her own family. In addition to all of this, Elizabeth was given other special gifts to put in her chest which included old family linens, table cloths, a tea pot, a "Daily Bread" bread plate and some Fiesta Ware table accessories.

By the time the guests left and our family started cleaning up, I realized all my anxiousness over the details was for naught. Despite all the little mishaps, as we sought to honor the Lord, He was faithful in providing a lovely time of blessing for our Elizabeth. She is continuing to grow into a young lady whose heart is seeking after God and her Mommy and Daddy are very proud of her.