I remember it clearly, I was 12 starting 8th grade at a new school in a new town and my life was ridiculously messy. It was just me and a single parent. The rest of my family was scattered and had already stopped going to church, so I started walking to a church. I’d wanted to be baptized since I was 7. I was told I was too young then, which I did not appreciate, so at great risk of rejection, I asked this church. I’d been waiting for years and to my great relief the time had finally come.
I remember all my family – parents, siblings, unchurched aunts and uncles included, all came together to watch. I wanted to proclaim that I still believed. I trusted, not in this life, but in Christ’s life and that I wanted to pursue His life instead of my own. The baptism itself was funny; I didn’t wear the right thing, I forgot to bring a towel, and my pastor said my name wrong and then announced me as a “new” believer, but I didn’t care. I was declaring that my faith was in Jesus. It was a really important moment for me. Being the youngest by far and very quiet at the time, I felt I needed to have a clear “I believe” declaration. But, it turns out it wasn’t just a need I felt, Jesus actually calls for all believers to participate in this age-old physical illustration of redemption. It’s a next step of obedience in our journey of faith.
If you haven’t been baptized as a believer, you don’t need to wait any longer! Learn more about baptism or sign-up here.
