Too often, for me at least, the lyrics "you don't know what you got 'til it's gone" ring true. It wasn't until I'd been away from the church I grew up in for ten years or so that I started to think perhaps the community there wasn't such a bad thing after all. And after two years of wishful thinking, Matt graciously agreed to make that church our home. It was wonderful to be welcomed back by so many people who knew me and my family--for the first time as a married couple, we were experiencing what a church
family
is. Our cup runneth over when we were officially welcomed, given a huge baby shower for Molly Rose, and then had her baptism, all within a month's time.
The baptism was a dual baptism and Lauren was asked to sing, along with the other baby's sisters, the refrain to "God claims you." She quickly learned the words by heart and bravely sang in front of the congregation as we all tried not to let the tears fall.
"Molly, Molly, God claims you. God helps you, protects you, and loves you too."
The song has become a common refrain around our house as I insert the children's names and sing it to them. We are so thankful for God's claim on us, and a church where His love is visible through the people we worship with.
