Tomorrow I have the privilege of talking with my kiddos in Bible study about the Ethiopian man, who at the moment of believing wanted to be baptized. The excitement he must of felt in that moment when he saw the pool of water! I'm sure it was a moment he'd never forget! (Acts 8:26-40)
As I studied, thoughts of my own baptism came to mind like . . .
I don't swim!!! (odd first thought, right?) I enjoy playing in the water, as long as my feet touch the ground and my head stays above the water! Youth swim parties terrified me! Whether you were in a swimsuit or not, chances were great that you'd be thrown in - the deep end! Needless to say,
I missed a lot of pool parties!
No, being baptized doesn't require swimming, but I was really afraid of going under the water. In the grand scheme of things, not knowing how to swim never was a real issue - until I decided to ask Jesus to be the Lord of my life! Yep, that meant the next step was baptism. Yikes! In the mind of a 10 year old, I had thoughts like:
My head is going to be "pushed" under the water!!! Sure I could hold my nose with the little white hanky - but what if water got through the hanky? What if the pastor dropped me?
Fortunately I had a very caring, compassionate pastor who understood my dilemma and took all the time I needed to prepare me for "the day of dunking"!! I can remember practicing for baptism as we stood in his office. He practiced with me over and over again. I truly believe that when the time came for me to be baptized the Holy Spirit took over and I was able to conquer my fears!
Fast forward 20 years. My family took a trip to Zion, Illinois where I was born and raised. (until I was in the 5th grade) It was so much fun remembering life in Zion! I loved showing my family my old house, my school, my grandparents house, the park and especially my church. As we walked through the doors and down the aisle I was reminded of my Papa - I would hold out my hand and he always had a candy or piece of gum for me :) My mind was filled with sweet memories!
Memories like my mom singing in church, laying my head on my grandmother's lap during church services, my Sunday School teachers, covered dish dinners, VBS parades and walking down the aisle to publicly announce my love for Jesus and my decision for Him to be the Lord of my life! I'll never forget as a grown wife and mother walking through that dry baptistry - tears flooding my eyes and rolling down my cheeks! I was overwhelmed with God's love and I was overjoyed that so long ago I made the decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ! Remembering my "profession of faith" walk and baptism have helped me through days of doubt.
What is your story?
Do you have memories of your baptism?
- Who was there?
- Where it was?
- How you felt?
If you're wondering what baptism is -
- it is the way believers publicly acknowledge that they have accepted Jesus Christ is their Savior.
- it is an act of being obedience and following Jesus' example.
- it symbolizes our sins being washed away.
- it is a visual representation of dying to self and rising up new in Christ Jesus!
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