And indeed we had a glorious Easter weekend at our house. Our fourth child was confirmed and had his first communion, and it was every bit of wonderful. We had 23 family members in town to celebrate with us and our son. We ate well, we laughed, we had an egg hunt and an Egg Roll competition, my son received some lovely faith-strengthening gifts, and most of all, we all worshiped together -- at the Easter Vigil where my son was confirmed, and at Easter morning worship as well.
If we had to choose one word to describe our son, it would be passion. He is passionate about everything he does and loves. And I love that about him! It sometimes makes emotions flare, but he is always authentic. Each confirmand's parent wrote an essay about their child and they were all published in a keepsake book for those attending the Easter Vigil. Here is an excerpt of what my husband wrote about our son:
Passion. If there is one word that describes you (and there could be many others) this one tops the list. You feel things so deeply. The things that capture your attention fascinate me. You ponder things that most people would never give a thought. Your never-still mind is always filling you with curiosity. Whether it is the sports you love, or reading Harry Potter, or your interest in all kinds of animals and wildlife, some of them rather exotic (how did you ever get so enamored with hedgehogs?) - whatever interested you - you are all in. I love that about you, my son. God gave you that sense of wonder. All of your interests are to help you look for the One who created such a fascinating, curious, interesting world for you to discover.
And so, my son, my prayer is that your passion directs you to Him - that you may be "all in" following Jesus. Because if one truly, passionately, curiously wonders about eJsesus and searches for Him, you will never be bored.
The verse my son chose as his confirmation verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
This was my grandma's verse. She lived by it, she wrote it down as a reminder, and it truly summed up who she was. My son looked at many, many verses trying to decide which one he wanted, and decided that this was the one. I love that he chose her verse, and that he wants to focus on prayer and giving thanks to God in all circumstances.
Our boy's confirmation, like his siblings' before him, was an amazing experience. The entire extended family surrounded him as my husband confirmed him and prayed over him. My son was beyond excited and full of emotion (as many of us were - my youngest daughter was weepy with happiness for her big brother). And when we returned to our seats, he was full of joy and so thrilled to take his first communion a few minutes later.
Our boy's confirmation, like his siblings' before him, was an amazing experience. The entire extended family surrounded him as my husband confirmed him and prayed over him. My son was beyond excited and full of emotion (as many of us were - my youngest daughter was weepy with happiness for her big brother). And when we returned to our seats, he was full of joy and so thrilled to take his first communion a few minutes later.
As he grows up, I pray my son keeps that exuberance for Christ. I pray he embraces his passions and that they will point him to Christ. And that all he does falls under the umbrella of prayer and giving thanks.
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