This coming Sunday I am being baptised... I will stand in front of a church full of people and publicly declare my commitment to the Lord, and His will for my life. I will literally take the plunge. This is out of character for two reasons...
Firstly, this Sandton girl usually avoids getting wet, especially on days when the locks have been straightened and the eyeliner freshly applied, and secondly, I don't do public speaking... Not out of a lack of confidence or a fear of crowds, but rather due to the fact that my unreliable vocal cords always hint at the possibility of a verbal traffic jam. My stutter isn't as constant a companion as it was in my younger years but it still likes to pop up and remind me that it's there once in a while.
Reading the previous paragraph back to myself, I realise how silly I sound, but aren't we all a bit silly? Don't we all make excuses instead of just confessing what we're afraid of? Instead of just handing our fear over... To the one person who already knows what the outcome of facing it will be.
Sure, I am scared that I'll stutter through my testimony, sure I'm worried that my words won't do what I'm trying to say justice, but the penny just dropped... "Give up and give it to God."
I have been a Christian for most of my 27 years. I have always been aware of God's presence. We have laughed together, cried together and celebrated together. Like any relationship, we've had our ups and downs. I've drawn closer and pulled away, but He has always remained steadfast. Looking back, whenever I have stepped out in obedience, He has delivered on His promises. My marriage and my husband remind me of this daily
So why get baptised now? If I am a believer, then why get baptised at all?
I am wary of religious rituals for the sake of ticking boxes, wary of getting caught up in the religion and losing sight of the relationship. This is why I have waited to get baptised until I was certain that I was doing it for the right reasons. The pastor at my church compares it to a wedding ring... An outward expression of an inward thing. You can be married without wearing a ring, but wearing a ring doesn't make you married.
So why get baptised now, at this stage in my Christian walk? Well, I am ready to outwardly express this inward thing, this thing that has shaped my past, guides my present and will determine my future. Why blog about something so personal, so publicly? Well, like I said, it's an outward expression of an inward thing.
"So I'll throw my life upon all that you are, because I know that you gave it all up for me..."
Firstly, this Sandton girl usually avoids getting wet, especially on days when the locks have been straightened and the eyeliner freshly applied, and secondly, I don't do public speaking... Not out of a lack of confidence or a fear of crowds, but rather due to the fact that my unreliable vocal cords always hint at the possibility of a verbal traffic jam. My stutter isn't as constant a companion as it was in my younger years but it still likes to pop up and remind me that it's there once in a while.
Reading the previous paragraph back to myself, I realise how silly I sound, but aren't we all a bit silly? Don't we all make excuses instead of just confessing what we're afraid of? Instead of just handing our fear over... To the one person who already knows what the outcome of facing it will be.
Sure, I am scared that I'll stutter through my testimony, sure I'm worried that my words won't do what I'm trying to say justice, but the penny just dropped... "Give up and give it to God."
I have been a Christian for most of my 27 years. I have always been aware of God's presence. We have laughed together, cried together and celebrated together. Like any relationship, we've had our ups and downs. I've drawn closer and pulled away, but He has always remained steadfast. Looking back, whenever I have stepped out in obedience, He has delivered on His promises. My marriage and my husband remind me of this daily
So why get baptised now? If I am a believer, then why get baptised at all?
I am wary of religious rituals for the sake of ticking boxes, wary of getting caught up in the religion and losing sight of the relationship. This is why I have waited to get baptised until I was certain that I was doing it for the right reasons. The pastor at my church compares it to a wedding ring... An outward expression of an inward thing. You can be married without wearing a ring, but wearing a ring doesn't make you married.
So why get baptised now, at this stage in my Christian walk? Well, I am ready to outwardly express this inward thing, this thing that has shaped my past, guides my present and will determine my future. Why blog about something so personal, so publicly? Well, like I said, it's an outward expression of an inward thing.
"So I'll throw my life upon all that you are, because I know that you gave it all up for me..."
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