Our Baptism July 27th, 2008

So it's taken me quite awhile to finally get around to recapping our amazing experience on my birthday, July 27th, when Tim and I decided to "take the plunge."

I was baptized when I was just a little girl and even though it was such a powerful experience, I still did not fully understand what I was doing.

Tim was baptized when he was just a baby, so we thought this was the perfect opportunity to get baptized together, now that we are adults and have a complete understanding of exactly what it means.

Pastor Brett, who married us, also ended up baptizing us, which was significant in so many ways. Our wedding day was meant to signify the joining of our lives into one and this day was meant to signify the joining of our lives with Christ as the center. Everything seemed to get very clear, as if I had other senses with which to enjoy the world; I saw the vivid outline of the beautiful surrounding trees against the sunny sky, heard the laughs and splashes from the kids playing just a few yards away, and the relished the sound of other believers standing on the shore singing praises.

The power of the moment was very tangible, especially as words of truth, grace and love poured out of Brett's mouth. I will never forget standing there hearing "every sin you've ever committed or will ever commit will be left behind today in this water. You are forgiven." I know that when we confess Jesus as our salvation that we are forgiven because we've accepted his free gift, but to physically accept that forgiveness is to outwardly express that belief. I always think of the dove descending on Jesus when he was baptized and saying he was pleased with his Son. Anything Jesus did I definitely want to emulate!

As Brett continued, I felt the strangest peace. There was a time in my life where I had gotten far away from the Lord and his ways and the reminder of what I've done had always kept me in a place of guilt/fear/bondage. There, in that river, that burden I'd been carrying fell off into those cool depths as I was lowered into the water...my sinful flesh breathing it's last breath...my new self being raised again as I emerged from the water...renewed. I could almost see a faint outline of my old sin-body as it drifted away...gone from me forever.

One thing that I know is that both Tim and I felt the touch of the Holy Spirit that day and even though we are still going to sin and make mistakes, we know that we are renewed, forgiven and full of new life. We look forward to seeing the outpouring from our commitment to the Lord in the coming days and years.

Love,
Shanna