My story is only His story.
I've been trying to concoct words for this post. How can I describe something so significant with words? How can I do it justice?
Aaron and I are getting baptized this Sunday.
But the part that I've been trying to write about is my story. Being baptized it a public declaration of one's faith and a symbol representing the burial, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As believer's we enter into this and claim Jesus as our Savior. Saving us from our sin and bonding and saving us from eternity separated from God. Along with baptism, comes the sharing of our testimony. We give witness to what God has done in our lives.
I struggle with this sometimes because I don't have a shocking story. There's no bolt of lightning. I cannot even pinpoint one actual day in which I accepted Christ. My growth and faith as been gradual having grown up in the church. I often believe the lie that my story is insignificant.
This week, I had been particularly struggling with that because it was simply a hard one and gave way for my weaknesses to seem more prevalent. It has made me think: Goodness, I don't even feel like I am worthy of this baptism. I don't always see the fruit of my faith. I don't see evidence of freedom. I realized today that these are lies.
Yesterday, a good friend texted me some encouraging words and included Psalm 107 in it. Let me just type that verse here for you so you can see how much God is working because this friend has been out of town for a week and had no idea this is what I am struggling with.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
His love endures forever.
Let the redeemed for the LORD tell their story-
those He redeemed from the hand of the foe."
Then this Psalm goes on to share the story of four people whom God rescued and delivered. Each person has a different and unique story and our stories matter. The things we been through, the paths we've taken, the choices we'e made can be given to God and bring glory and goodness.
And THE STORY IS NOT OVER. He is still writing it. Everyday. I don't understand it all, because I know that somehow He already knows what is going to happen and yet at the same time picks up a pen each day and continues to write a story. He continues to write His words of love and joy on my heart. I am a work in progress. I still find myself "prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love" but let me continue to sing each day "here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."
While God has been continually growing me, this Lent season I experienced a much deeper growth and understanding of the Lord. Through fasting, He revealed Himself to me in such rich ways as I gave Him space to move and work. At the end of Lent, our church opened up a Sunday for anyone to be baptized. I started asking God about it and seeking scripture about baptism. I was baptized as a baby, but I came to see in the Bible that baptism is truly something a person does after they have accepted Christ. It is a public declaration. It is a choice one makes for himself.
I don't want to walk in the sprinkling waters of Jesus. I want to swim in the deep love of Him. I want to be fully immersed. I want to be wholly covered.
I will tell His story. Because His story is my story. The only important story is the one of Jesus. Who came, loved, healed, saved, rescued, laughed, redeemed, blessed, and gave Himself up for all of us so that we may may live in heaven with God forever.
I will let Him continue to write my story.
Aaron and I are getting baptized this Sunday.
But the part that I've been trying to write about is my story. Being baptized it a public declaration of one's faith and a symbol representing the burial, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As believer's we enter into this and claim Jesus as our Savior. Saving us from our sin and bonding and saving us from eternity separated from God. Along with baptism, comes the sharing of our testimony. We give witness to what God has done in our lives.
I struggle with this sometimes because I don't have a shocking story. There's no bolt of lightning. I cannot even pinpoint one actual day in which I accepted Christ. My growth and faith as been gradual having grown up in the church. I often believe the lie that my story is insignificant.
This week, I had been particularly struggling with that because it was simply a hard one and gave way for my weaknesses to seem more prevalent. It has made me think: Goodness, I don't even feel like I am worthy of this baptism. I don't always see the fruit of my faith. I don't see evidence of freedom. I realized today that these are lies.
Yesterday, a good friend texted me some encouraging words and included Psalm 107 in it. Let me just type that verse here for you so you can see how much God is working because this friend has been out of town for a week and had no idea this is what I am struggling with.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
His love endures forever.
Let the redeemed for the LORD tell their story-
those He redeemed from the hand of the foe."
Then this Psalm goes on to share the story of four people whom God rescued and delivered. Each person has a different and unique story and our stories matter. The things we been through, the paths we've taken, the choices we'e made can be given to God and bring glory and goodness.
And THE STORY IS NOT OVER. He is still writing it. Everyday. I don't understand it all, because I know that somehow He already knows what is going to happen and yet at the same time picks up a pen each day and continues to write a story. He continues to write His words of love and joy on my heart. I am a work in progress. I still find myself "prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love" but let me continue to sing each day "here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."
While God has been continually growing me, this Lent season I experienced a much deeper growth and understanding of the Lord. Through fasting, He revealed Himself to me in such rich ways as I gave Him space to move and work. At the end of Lent, our church opened up a Sunday for anyone to be baptized. I started asking God about it and seeking scripture about baptism. I was baptized as a baby, but I came to see in the Bible that baptism is truly something a person does after they have accepted Christ. It is a public declaration. It is a choice one makes for himself.
I don't want to walk in the sprinkling waters of Jesus. I want to swim in the deep love of Him. I want to be fully immersed. I want to be wholly covered.
I will tell His story. Because His story is my story. The only important story is the one of Jesus. Who came, loved, healed, saved, rescued, laughed, redeemed, blessed, and gave Himself up for all of us so that we may may live in heaven with God forever.
I will let Him continue to write my story.
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