Oh, My Love, Your Journey Has Just Begun
She is swimming in the baptistery, yes, swimming. My sweet Ed had made the biggest decision she would ever make in her life, and she was swimming and turning happy tears into laughing out loud.
I sat in the front row, remembering the first night she, her brother, and sister had come to live with us. Sitting on the bed on the first night singing, “Jesus Loves Me,” and she asked me who Jesus was and how could He love her. To this very moment seemed surreal. And in that moment, I had a fleeting thought that my job here on earth was finished. My kids and husband have all now received Christ (like I said, a fleeting thought). Crazy how the devil can get into your head even during this time.
The Decision
She, in fact, had made the decision to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior months before. I would ask her regularly, not pushing, of course, if she was ready to be baptized. Only to have her tell me she would know when she was ready to get up in front of the church and be baptized. She has a fear, like me, of being the center of attention and being in front of a group of people. However, there, of course, would not be one person in our church family that would judge her but, in fact, be overjoyed for her as they love her like their own. As always, it was in HIS time.
She was finally ready to give her public testimony and have others witness her acknowledgment of Christ.
“Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33 HCSB
Ready
The night before, I expected her to say I can’t do it. To my surprise, she was all in. She led the conversation, and I sat quietly, listening in awe to how she explained, “Jesus was in my heart and soul, and I don’t feel the same way as I did before. He loves me even more than you, momma, and that’s huge, and no one can take Him out of me. Even if I mess up, and I will mess up.”
“For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,” Romans 6:6 HCSB
My child gets it, and I knew at that moment she was ready.
“There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope at your calling —” Ephesians 4:4 HCSB
Of course, we had to celebrate and have her favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch with family, and on our way out the door to leave, she looked at me and said, “Welp, that’s done!” I giggled and said, “Oh, my love, your journey has just begun.”
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 HCSB
Missy Burks
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#missyburksblogs