Nothing But The Water

This past Sunday, on my 27th birthday, I was baptized. It was a pretty meaningful experience for me that was long in the making. I was never baptized as a child because my family didn’t want me to fill pressured into a religion and wanted to allow me the freedom to make this choice for myself. Baptism was something that I gave a tremendous amount of thought. At the end of last year, I decided that it was something that I wanted to do. So I made it part of my New Year’s Resolution.

It feels really good to demonstrate my belief in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for my sins.  I will say that being completely submerged in water in front of a bunch of people was a bit overwhelming and incredibly personal. My nerves really got to me. It was like my wedding day all over again. Publicly proclaiming my love in front of a bunch of people is kind of embarrassing to me. But I wish I could just share the feelings I had when the warm water rushed over my head. The peace and calm I felt for the 2 seconds I was underwater, felt like a lifetime. And then when I emerged from the water, everyone was clapping and cheering. It was a really special experience. I’m really glad that I did it and so happy that so many friends and family were there to support me.

Part of my baptism was that I had to write “my story” and it would be read at my baptism. Here is what I wrote:

For a long time I felt that I was smart enough, strong enough, and powerful enough to do it all on my own. I didn’t need help from anyone or anything. However, my life was continuing on a repeating cycle. Because of my “me” centered and independent attitude I wasn’t creating lasting or meaningful relationships with people or with God and living a pretty lonely life.

I came to this church because I was hurting and I needed help. In the past year and a half my soul has been replenished and my relationship with God has been reconciled. I want others to experience the same hope, love, and forgiveness that I have. But I can’t do it on my own.

In my baptism I am declaring “I’m tired of trying to do it on my own, because what I’m doing isn’t working. I’m ready to give it all to God. All of my imperfections, all of my mistakes, all of my sins and all the glory.”