I admit, when Elizabeth adamantly told us that she had prayed to receive Christ, I was leery. I mean really, how can a 4 year old (actually, she had prayed just about the time she turned 3) understand God? How can a tiny little child "get" what it means to have Jesus Christ pay for your sins? How can she understand with certainty that she has been justified by the Cross and Ressurection? She can't. And, most days, neither can I.
So, we didn't really believe her. We searched her heart time and time again, and each time her answers and understanding of God just blew us away. Finally, we allowed her to make her decision public. And, it was not long ago that she finally took her first communion. She continues to amaze us with her understanding of God's word. She and Luke had a deeply theological discussion just last week (I'll see if I can convince him to blog about it) and afterwords Luke was in shock by the things that she understood. Still, we have never pressured her to understand more than what she has asked about. Yes, we present her with the truths we believe, but we lead her through her questions about who God is, what Jesus did and how that should look in our lives.
We have discussed what it means to be baptized. We have not pushed it on her, but rather brought it up and allowed her to decide when she is ready. For a while now she had maintained that she didn't want to do it and that it was scary. So, we've left it alone. Then, last week I was washing her hair outside with the waterhose (I know, don't ask) and she said it was just like being baptized. Then she said, "Mom, I'm ready. I want to be baptized."
We have talked about what Baptism is, what it means and why we do it. We told her that she was already redeemed by Jesus because of her accepting Him as her Savior. We told her that Baptism is an act of obedience and an outer symbol of her inner commitment to God. We went up to the church, saw the Baptism place and talked with Pister Michael. She was ready and insisted on going through with it at the next baptism, which just-s0-happened to be yesterday.
We arrive and immediately she is fearful. We had told her that it was okay if she changed her mind and after watching 9 other children get baptized she backed out. As we changed back into her dress in the locker room just behind the baptismal pool, she got a burst of confidence. Before Pister Michael could leave the water we rushed around the corner, interrupted the rest of the service and she did it! I don't have one single picture to show you because everyone with behind-the-scenes cameras had left. However, the images of her tiny body in that water, being held up by our wonderful Pastor, her toes not even touching the bottom, are images that will never leave my mind. With tears of joy I watched my eldest daughter get baptized in the same place I did. I remembered that just 5 years earlier I was in that same water, with her tiny body growing in my womb.
Praise God for the abundant faith He has placed within our daughter. She teaches me so much everyday. After she finished, and as we were changing her into dry clothes, I asked her "Bizzy, why did you change your mind?"
"Because, I was afraid but then Jesus told me to not be scared and He helped me do it."
Thank you Jesus for this little girl who makes my heart overflow. I praise You Lord for washing her in the water of Your mercy.
So, we didn't really believe her. We searched her heart time and time again, and each time her answers and understanding of God just blew us away. Finally, we allowed her to make her decision public. And, it was not long ago that she finally took her first communion. She continues to amaze us with her understanding of God's word. She and Luke had a deeply theological discussion just last week (I'll see if I can convince him to blog about it) and afterwords Luke was in shock by the things that she understood. Still, we have never pressured her to understand more than what she has asked about. Yes, we present her with the truths we believe, but we lead her through her questions about who God is, what Jesus did and how that should look in our lives.
We have discussed what it means to be baptized. We have not pushed it on her, but rather brought it up and allowed her to decide when she is ready. For a while now she had maintained that she didn't want to do it and that it was scary. So, we've left it alone. Then, last week I was washing her hair outside with the waterhose (I know, don't ask) and she said it was just like being baptized. Then she said, "Mom, I'm ready. I want to be baptized."
We have talked about what Baptism is, what it means and why we do it. We told her that she was already redeemed by Jesus because of her accepting Him as her Savior. We told her that Baptism is an act of obedience and an outer symbol of her inner commitment to God. We went up to the church, saw the Baptism place and talked with Pister Michael. She was ready and insisted on going through with it at the next baptism, which just-s0-happened to be yesterday.
We arrive and immediately she is fearful. We had told her that it was okay if she changed her mind and after watching 9 other children get baptized she backed out. As we changed back into her dress in the locker room just behind the baptismal pool, she got a burst of confidence. Before Pister Michael could leave the water we rushed around the corner, interrupted the rest of the service and she did it! I don't have one single picture to show you because everyone with behind-the-scenes cameras had left. However, the images of her tiny body in that water, being held up by our wonderful Pastor, her toes not even touching the bottom, are images that will never leave my mind. With tears of joy I watched my eldest daughter get baptized in the same place I did. I remembered that just 5 years earlier I was in that same water, with her tiny body growing in my womb.
Praise God for the abundant faith He has placed within our daughter. She teaches me so much everyday. After she finished, and as we were changing her into dry clothes, I asked her "Bizzy, why did you change your mind?"
"Because, I was afraid but then Jesus told me to not be scared and He helped me do it."
Thank you Jesus for this little girl who makes my heart overflow. I praise You Lord for washing her in the water of Your mercy.
