Hey Guys! As many of you know, I got baptized today! It was a very emotional, exciting day which I will not be forgetting anytime soon. I was so very blessed to be surrounded by friends and family as I made this commitment to Jesus. I wanted to share with you guys a little bit about why i got baptized, the emotions and thoughts that I experienced etc. For those of you who follow my blogs regularly, you will know that I love to journal. Well thats maybe an understatement, I think I have a slight obsession with it. That being said, since I process things better through writing, I want to share what I wrote this morning. Most of the time when I journal I write letters to Jesus, so this is just a little bit of what I wrote today.
Dear Jesus,
Today I am getting baptized! Amazing. I am so excited! I am a little bit nervous… but I just remind myself that I serve an audience of one, and that today is about me and you. It doesn’t matter what people think of me. All that matters is you. That you have called me to you. That i am yours forever. This is my way of saying I do. Saying Jesus, you know all I have done, you know every sin I have commited, every thought that runs through my mind, you know me better then I know myself. And you still chose me. You call me your beloved, you redeemed me, you forgave my sins and washed me white as snow. Today, I am made new. Jesus this is so exciting. I pray that you calm the nervous storm in me. You are with me, I know I won’t be alone on that stage. Lord, today, I am doing this in faith, as the next step you have called me to do. I just pray you use my story and baptism to reach out to those around my friends, family and everybody else at the church. Jesus, I want my life to point to you in all that I do. I want the people at church to look at me and see your light. Lord, today I am giving you my life, the past, present and future. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Spoken For, ” When Jesus died on the cross, he called to you-you might say he proposed to you- saying : I love you. I want to be with you forever. I am taking your judgment, your sin, your shame and guilt, the wrath that you deserve to die for, and I am taking it upon myself. I am exchanging your clothes of wickedness for my clothes of righteousness. Here you are clothed with a royal gown. I want you. Won’t you be mine?” Jesus, today I am saying I do. I do to living with you forever, to going where you call me, to growing in my relationship with you, to a future filled with hope, to the man who died on the cross for me, because he loved me so much. Jesus, I cannot thank you enough for saving me when I was so undeserving, for believing in me and choosing me to be your beloved daughter. I cannot wait for this morning. Jesus I will be yours. Your beloved daughter. Today is just the beginning. The beginning of a life long adventure. The beginning of a forever with you. I know you will be there with me, today and forever. I praise you Jesus for all you have done in my life and that you call me yours. Thank you that I am the Rose, that you have amazing plans for me and that you love me unconditionally.
Love, Your Daughter.
For it is by grace you have been saved. Through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are Gods handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-9
Rose and Thorn 