Oh, Happy Day!

Excited.
Nervous.
Anxious.
Thrilled.
Lovely.
Overwhelmed.
Overjoyed.
Grateful.
Amazed.
Holy.
New.

I never would have thought I was capable of feeling all these things in one short moment....but I did this morning when I GOT BAPTIZED! Woo!! I'm sitting here reflecting on everything, because it happened so fast and I had so many people to talk to and pictures to take afterwards that I never really got to take it all in. It's difficult to put into words exacly how I felt, but I think all the above emotions sum it up quite nicely. Goodness, God is SO good. I appologize if I'm all over the place with this post; I'm kind of just typing out an explosion of my thoughts right now. Anyways, I think I will share what my baptism means to me!

As I've shared with y'all multiple times, in these past few months of my life I've expirienced more growth in God than ever before in my life and have truly committed my life to Him. I also shared in one of my Thanksgiving posts on prayer about how one night about 4 months ago, I desperately cried out to God some lyrics of my favorite song, "come and find me in the darkest night of my soul." That night I realized how far away I was from Him and asked Him to rid me of whatever it was that was holding me back from Him. I didn't realize how painful and hard that would be at first, but I also didn't realize how beautiful the result of that pain would be! Looking back to the night, I can't help but rejoice that God heard my cry and answered my prayer with greater things than I could ever imagine! In this fruitful time, He

• taught me how to trust Him with everything
• told me to stop making plans for myself and just listen to what He wanted of me
• helped me realize how beautiful & precious I am in His sight and helped me find my identity solely in Him
• brought many new friends and mentors into my life while also showing me how blessed I am to have the ones that were already in my life
• taught me how to love others the way He does
• made me realize that I don't have to be perfect for Him to love me and that nothing I could ever do could make Him reject me like people of this world do
• showed me that nothing in the whole universe is more valuable than a deep, intimate relationship with Him
• gave me the strength to get over my shyness and share with others about how great He is!
• gave me the drive to get over my laziness and post about what I learn on this blog:)

Don't get me wrong, I'm still a broken person and still fail Him daily, but now that I know all of those things, I am a completely different person and live my life in a whole new way. And since God answered my prayer and made me new, I decided to publicly profess my commitment to Him and get baptized on this beautiful Sunday morning! I can honestly say it is the best decision I have ever made. I will forever keep this day in my heart as a reminder that I surrender my life to Him and that He made me new! Thank you for everyone who has told me they are proud of me and who has supported and encouraged me; I couldn't ask for better people in my life!:) And while I did choose to take this next step, it was Jesus alone who made it even  possible. Because He paid the ultimate price, my sins and shortcomings were washed away and I was born again. It was God who answered my prayer, and God who makes ALL things work together for my good!

If you have committed your life to Christ, but haven't gotten baptized since, I HIGHLY encourage you to. It doesn't matter how old/young you are, all that matters is that you've made God your everything! And if you feel far from God or have never really had a relationship with Him at all...one prayer, one desperate cry is all it takes! He will hear you and answer you with greater things than you could ever imagine. Prayer is powerful, God is beautiful, and I am made new! Hallelujah!

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:38

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22

 

the BEST family a girl could ask for:)

My second mother, Marla

 



My awesome, supportive friends:)