The Power of the Priesthood

Shem had the privilege of blessing Colin on Sunday along with my dad and several of our brothers and brothers-in-law. Shem was fasting in preparation for this blessing and he always does a beautiful job of expressing the blessing from Heavenly Father.

We have made an effort to make a record of the blessing for each of our children (thanks Mom for getting this started so long ago by writing what you remembered from Kate's blessing). There was one line in particular of Colin's blessing that stood out for me.

Colin has not been big on eye contact or alertness. I know this is not abnormal for a newborn, but I was starting to get concerned that his future held obstacles with his vision and perhaps even his mind. Most of these distressing thoughts occurred in the wee hours of the morning and can be attributed to sleep deprivation; however, it was still concerning.

I was worried his blessing would not include any of the common blessings of missionary service and temple marriage as his future might not hold these opportunities. I was comforted to hear these blessings, but this line was what stood out to me for the remainder of the day:

"Colin, we love you dearly and bless you at this time that your body will continue to grow in health and strength – that your spirit might be alert and attentive and your mind might be sharp."

From the moment Shem brought Colin back to the pew and sat down Colin's eyes looked clear and bright and he just stared up at us until he later drifted off to sleep. That afternoon after his nap again he was alert and present and continues to be so. I have never seen a priesthood blessing take effect so quickly.

Another line of the blessing that stood out to me was, "We bless you, Colin, to bear with patience your afflictions." So, I suppose all of life will not be roses, but with the power and direction of the priesthood we will be prepared for what the future holds.