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| Semi-dry "dunkees" |
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| a family photo, can you tell how dark our church is |
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| day after with sunshine and everyone wearing their baptism shirts |
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| the caption definitely got some questions, which is good |
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| what grace, mercy, blessings, life looks like |
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| This picture makes me cry every time, she is just so stinking passionate |
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| Heidi (looks like a skinny version of her mama) |
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| love the lady that baptized us, sweetest heart and an amazing example of a life well lived despite trials (buried 2 children, breast cancer, etc.) |
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| Luke |
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| Anna |
I don't even know how many people read this blog anymore, thankfully, Praise God, things have been pretty quite, and our human nature seems to desire chaos...so this is a little more of a journal for myself, to remember our baptism day (April 10, 2016). And yet, that is the purpose of baptism, to share with the world, to make a statement to others. God knows my heart, always has, knows every single thought I have ever had and will ever have. I asked Jesus into my life as a little girl, I remember sitting on my bed, alone, probably following Sunday school, asking Him to come into my heart, to forgive my sins. And throughout my years in youth groups and Christian schools I repeated that prayer, just in case I didn't do it right the first time. God knows I have been a Christian for most of my life. But baptism wasn't my thing. I am not particularly outgoing with my faith, I would never pass as an evangelist. I've felt the tug to be baptized many times, but I didn't like the idea of doing something I was supposed to do. I guess, it's that rebellious nature, especially when it isn't something required for me to go to heaven. Plus, I didn't want to be judged by the audience.
Well, Emily has asked to be baptized for quite a while and we were out of town the last time our church offered it. This time I couldn't avoid it. And you know that voice, the one inside your head that tells you what to say, you just have to make the decision to let the words come out, yea, that is the Holy Spirit. And He prompted me to ask the other kids. I asked each separately and a not a one hesitated in answering "yes". Justin was baptized while at camp in middle school, so it came down to me. And I prayed and felt that obeying God was far more important than caring what others thought of me. It was more important to stand with our children and support them, to do this thing together, for what more meaningful opportunity would ever come along. No one pushed, no one even asked if I was going to, I just signed up all 5 of us.
Not caring what other people think of me, that is a struggle. I feel like I am constantly being judged, evaluated, compared, by anybody and everybody. It's not easy to let go of, by I am trying, by God's grace. I actually really appreciated the Scripture that our children's pastor shared before we went it, "
That’s
what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the
water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the
water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a
light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going
in our new grace-sovereign country." That is from Romans 6:4-6, The Message. And that is what I want to remember. That amazing feeling of coming out of the water. Being raised up, with the water rushing behind me. Just to have the slightest taste of what the resurrection was like. So baptism was much more than an outward symbol, it was the connection, the opportunity to be like Christ, to experience leaving death behind and facing the world with grace. Afterall, we are all "what grace looks like"!
