Journey: Baptism

 

My baptism last summer was a defining moment in my life’s story. Although I had accepted Jesus as my savior as a teenager, last year it was extremely clear to me that I was on the verge of a new season in my life and I longed to mark that time in a powerful and special way. I wanted to publicly share my story, declare my faith and reaffirm my relationship with God as I prepared my heart to enter into this next chapter in life. I knew it was time to be baptized.

In contrast to my baptism as an infant, my memories of my baptism last year are vivid. I remember the day as vibrant, full of friends as well as many smiling and encouraging faces I did not yet know. I remember the music, the laughter, the joy of the day, but mostly I remember feeling fully alive and extremely happy. My heart overflowed with gratitude as I recounted my story of God’s faithfulness and goodness in my life through both good and difficult times. As I stood there sharing, a clarity came upon my heart as I recognized how time after time God had shown his faithfulness to me. In my experience of that morning, I know my relationship with Him deepened. As I was lowered into and then raised out of those waters, I celebrated afresh being a His beautiful new creation raised into a new life. The old was gone, the new had come.

My faith journey since last August has not been an easy path, but I know with certainty, that God wanted me to have that moment in the water with him so he could whisper and remind me that not only was he faithful and beside me through my past leading up to that day, but that he would be just as faithful in my future days as well. I know and believe that He is the God who makes all things new again. He is the God who brings forth beauty from ashes. He is the God who binds up broken hearts and He is the God who has come to set us captives free. He carries our burdens; he wipes our tears and holds us so close to his heart that we are imprinted on the palms of his hands. He is my God and his word tells me that He chose me to be his child before I was even known. He will never leave me, even when things are their worst.

I love that in those waters at Kill Creek Park last summer, I was able to stand up and tell the world that I love Him and would continue to choose Him no matter what was ahead. He remains ever faithful and I cherish how God specializes in making all things new: broken lives, broken people and especially broken hearts. I believe he is who he says he is and I believe he can do what he says he can do. He calls to our hearts and we have only to respond, accept, remember, say thank you and celebrate this wild, beautiful new life we have been given.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17

♫ From Joe: If you'd like to read or read again our baptism story from last year, here's a link: Into the Water.

§ If you are interested:  click here for The Journey in Word format and click here for the Journey in PDF format. For more resources, feel free to visit the Journey Devotional page by clicking here.