i said yes

i didn't expect to drive home with wet hair on wednesday night, but i did.  i made my relationship with jesus christ public and i was baptized, spontaneously.  ....oh spontaneously, how radical of you.  no, how biblical!

let me give you a tid bit of info on me real quick, i was baptized when i was 7 with the knowledge of who jesus was and what he did, but mostly, it was so i could take communion and get a free meal at steak-n-shake with jason, my youth leader.  i memorized scripture, i sang countless songs, but i still wasn't allowed to take communion.  how do i do this? hmmm.....wheels are turning.  why couldn't i take communion, why was i not allowed to pick up the bread and juice when it was passed.  my prohibition was my downfall. i got dunked in the water, it was a day of celebration, i took communion, but nothing "magical" happened like i assumed would.   i got my relationship with jesus out of order, i did things backwards, for the wrong reasons.    i had felt pullings at my heart a few times in the past: was it ok to get baptized again? yes. did i need to be baptized again? biblically, yes. does baptism give me salvation? no.

well, i already knew the answers to these questions, but i never had since acted upon them because what in the world would people think!?

i can't believe you're not baptized yet.  shouldn't you have already been baptized renee? you must not have ever loved jesus in your past.  you don't really have to get baptized.  look at her, calling herself a christian when she hasn't even surrendered herself to jesus. what a hypocrite. blah...blah...blah...

but wednesday, my walls came down and jesus reached out and pulled me under his crashing waves of Grace.  in a room full of people from literally every walk of life, i was unable hear anyone but jesus.  i could feel him pulling at my heart.  you see, i just finished a book by lysa terkeurst called what happens when women say yes to God.   this book is all about biblical "radical" obedience, how when i say yes to what God wants (not what i want or what others want) without hesitation, how that affects others including myself.  well, jesus was yanking on my heart wednesday night, and i said yes; however, i didn't realize at this time that being baptized on wednesday night was an act of obedience.  

august 22, 2012 marks the day that my inward change became an outward symbol to my dependence on my risen Savior.

lasting obedience must be born out of desire, not duty. –lysa terkeurst

in her book, lysa makes these points and i have applied them to wednesday night:

• our call to obedience may challenge our pride

my legs were trembling, my hands were sweating as i knew that 500 pairs of eyes were looking at my tattooed back as i walked up to the front

 • God uses our experiences to equip us for our calling

reading lysa terkeurst's book further solidified how desperate i am to obey jesus.  my quiet time, this book, sermons, and uplifting talks with friends all pointed to one word: obedience

 • our obedience may inspire others to respond

i was the first to walk up to the front at pine lake, after what seemed like 20 minutes after the song started.  there were a total of 6 spontaneous baptisms that night.

"therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  the old has passed away; behold, the new has come." –2 corinthians 5:17