Scott's Sunday Spiritual Thought

This is not so much a thought as food for thought. Our first Sunday in Idaho there was a baby blessing during sacrament meeting and it got me thinking about my upcoming (in about four months) baby blessing. As many of you know, I carry my palm pilot with me in church in case I feel some sort of "inspiration" and need to write it down. I usually don't end up having any occasion to share these thoughts, so I thought I would do a semi-regular feature on the blog where I put up these little thoughts for comment and feedback from others. Feel free to reign in my heresy if you feel so inclined, or if I manage sometime to share something genuinely insightful, that would be nice to know as well. That way, I can know when I'm "out to lunch" or when I am actually on to something meaningful or helpful. Let me know what you think. Please forgive my spelling/grammar on these thoughts because palm pilot writing brings out my most "stream of consciousness" (i.e. disorganized and spellcheck free) style.

- Baby Blessings

As I was about to enter the MTC at age 19, my mom found the tape recording of my baby blessing. I was positively struck by how many of the qualities and characteristics with which my dad had blessed me all those years ago had come to express themselves within me. It fascinated me. Immediately I began planning out all of the things that I would bless my children with when the time came now that I had discovered such an efficacious way to influence my children for the best. As time has gone by, however, I have come to understand more completely the nature of priesthood blessings. Now I see baby blessings not so much as a parent's way of "creating" a child of their design, but more like an opportunity to water the innate seeds of character with which each child is born. God knows what we need/want before we ask (3 Ne 13:8), and yet our receiving those blessings is contingent upon our asking for them. In the context of baby blessings, I believe this principle may serve as a way in which a parent, through the inspiration of the Spirit (who knows perfectly the innate character of every person), may "water the seeds" of these character traits so that they may begin 1) sprouting early in the case of those that would have sprouted eventually anyway, or 2) sprouting outright in the case of those that may never have manifest themselves otherwise. In theory, parents could ponder all of those things with which they would bless their child, and through prayer and inspiration, be guided to know those with which their new child is endowed. That way, during the baby blessing, those things which the parents wish for their child will be in harmony with the perfect knowledge and will of God for that child. Otherwise, a parent, determined that their child be brilliant or charitable or popular, may "stumble," unable to obtain the Spirit, and may miss this opportunity to "water the seeds" through the righteous and humble exercise of the priesthood. Lastly, the Spirit works according to the omniscience of God, and a parent may not know or feel that their child will be courageous or hard-working or exemplary until the moment of the blessing. Such a reality is all the more reason to prepare, with equal portions diligence and humility, for such an awesome opportunity.