Life-Changing Baptism

Several months ago I made the decision to be baptized.  I had recently given my life back to Christ and growing up in a Christian home had taught me that being baptized was my next step of obedience and a way of showing everyone around me an outward expression of an inward change that had happened in my life.  When I decided that I should be baptized that was exactly what I was doing, I was being obedient and I was proclaiming Christ as my savior, and that was it… to me it meant nothing more and nothing less. 

As time passed I became more and more involved at Revolution. I began to surround myself with amazing people who were teaching me so much about this sweet Jesus that I had surrendered my life to.  Sadly, up until this point my view on God had been clouded with a lot of what you can’t do when you follow him rather than what you CAN do when you choose to follow Him.  I learned that God already knows that I can’t walk perfectly, but that I CAN walk perfectly in his grace and mercy.  I learned that God already knows my next step and decision before I ever make it, and because he already knows that he can never be disappointed in me.  I learned that he never uncovers something hurtful in our lives without providing everything we need to be healed.  I learned that he is my protection; never again do I have to spend my time building walls around my heart to protect myself from being hurt because He guards it for me.  Most importantly I learned that this amazing God is willing and ready to take away all of my sorrows.  This may not seem like a huge deal to a lot of you, but to me, there isn’t anything greater.  Maybe things in your life have always been great, maybe you don’t have any troubles or sorrows to bare, and if that’s the case I would consider yourself truly blessed.  Although for me, I can’t say the same for my life.  I’ve faced some pretty low times, I have experienced a lot of heartache, and I could probably write an entire book on all the hurt I’ve felt. But now I know that He will always be there to pick me up when I fall, He has the ability to mend my broken heart that seemed impossible to be made whole again, and He can turn my hurt into joy.   This amazing God can do all of this for me and all I have to do is simply ask… seems pretty unrealistic huh? Well, my life is a perfect testimony of his amazing grace.  I had tried anything and everything, and it wasn’t until I ran out of things to try did I decide to turn to him, and even though He had become my last resort, when I came running to Him, I found Him standing with his arms open wide ready to embrace every part of me.  He embraced my hurt, my struggles, my shame, my sadness, and my unforgiving heart; not only did he embrace every part of myself that I hated, but He was willing to take any part of me that was damaged and make it new and whole. 

After learning all of these amazing things that God has the power to do for me, being baptized today became so much more than just my next step of obedience and a public proclamation of my salvation, being baptized today was incredibly symbolic to me.  This morning, I walked into that water a hurt and broken hearted girl; a girl that in every way imaginable was nothing more than a lost cause.  I was carrying more hurt and pain and unforgiveness than I could bare, but I am so excited to tell you that the girl that walked into the water is no where near the same person who walked out.  The girl that walked out of that water this morning is no longer hurting, my heart is no longer broken, and I am the FARTHEST thing from a lost cause you can find!!! I am happily no longer that damaged girl, today I have been made new and  for the first time in my life I am complete and whole!!!