Charli's Song

One night, before Charli was born, I awakened from a frightful dream where our baby was in danger and I couldn't help her. I had been wrestling that week with the stark reality that indeed there will be times in this life when I am unable to keep our precious girl from hurting or experiencing pain. That reality breaks my heart. It rips me up inside, and it pushes me into the truth that Charli belongs to God. always has. always will. But in those waking moments in the darkness of night, I lay wide awake wrestling with God. As I lay there, these words came. And with the words came a song. It's a lullaby. A lullaby to sing over my baby. But even moreso, it was Jesus singing over was me as he calmed my heart.
So here it is, Charli's Song-- birthed in the middle of the night as I sat huddled under the bathroom light, scribbling on a sticky note.

I can't protect you from every bad thing.
And it hurts because I know I can't ensure
that you don't feel the sting.

But in all of this world that you're coming into
My only hope is Jesus for you.

Charli's Benediction

Benediction;blessing: a short prayer for divine approval. The orginal sense of the word blessing means " to mark with blood." in faith, we pray this benediction for our daughter, that one day, she will indeed be "marked with the blood" of Christ as she trusts Jesus as her Savior.

We chose the name Charli because we liked it, but we also wanted to write her a benediction that will be our continual prayer for her as we shepherd her heart through many stages of life. It is inspired by the prayers we were lead to pray for her before she was born.

Charli Mae Hendricks:

May the God of hope give your heart courage to
worship unashamedly,
proclaim boldly,
and love fearlessly.

"When I speak of home, I speak of the place where--in default of a better--those I love are gathered together; and if that place were a gypsy's tent, or a barn, I should call it by the same good name notwithstanding." ---Charles Dickens

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Psalm 61

Feels like I'm standing at the edge of the earth right now,
And I need you to hear this prayer;
The sand that I've been standing on in sinking now,
And I need a firm place to stand

So lead me to the Rock that is higher than I am
And teach me to have faith, the kind that you will delight in
Be pleased with me, be pleased with me, oh Jesus

You say that faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we don't see,
Well I can't see your face or hear your voice right now,
But I'm sure hoping you're hearing me.

So lead me to the Rock that is higher than I am
And teach me to have faith, the kind that you will delight in
Be pleased with me....
Be pleased with me...
oh, Jesus.


-Lindsay Hendricks, 2009