Baptism.  What is it?  Does it create fear?  Do we want to publicly get drenched while trying to push aside any fear of going under in the water, and then coming up gasping for air with wet hair and everyone looking at us?  Many of us have these fears.

But, wait! … God tells us it’s important, and it reflects to others that we are turning over a new leaf, giving our life to God, symbolically washing away our sin, and acknowledging that we will live with God forever throughout eternity.  That’s really pretty important!

Doesn’t the Bible tell us that Jesus came to die for our sins and taught us, by example, the love of God during His journey on earth?  He was willing to demonstrate the path He wants us to follow…….the path that is narrow and traveled by few…….a path that apparently included baptism.  If Jesus was willing to be immersed in the water with everyone there to see, wet hair and all, should we not be vulnerable and allow ourselves to do so as well? Jesus went through alot, and baptism was the beginning, followed by many hardships and trials in His short time on earth, followed by His sacrificial death on the cross.  He indicated the importance of baptism and the beauty of making the decision of doing so.

The Bible shares the following:

Mark 16:16…..Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.   Luke 3:21-22…..When all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized too.  And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven:  “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”  Acts 2:38…..Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Acts 22:16…..”And now what are you waiting for?  Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.  Galatians 3:26-28…..So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

I have to admit…..I ALWAYS get teary when I witness a baptism.  This is a big step in a person’s life, and there’s a certain holiness and beauty in making this very public display of washing away sin and receiving new life with Christ.  Please, someone, pleeaassee pass the tissues!

Witnessing a baptism also always sends me back in time.  I remember when I made the decision as a young pre-teen to be baptized.  I too had those fears of being in front of everyone, praying that the minister would not drop me and that I wouldn’t sink to the bottom of the baptistery coming back up sputtering and coughing….or even just getting water in my nose….and reminding my young self that I needed to remember to hold my breath and pinch my nose going under.  And, I didn’t even want to think about how awful my hair would surely look!

But regardless of all of that, there was an inner joy and desire to share my love for God in this way, and my desire to tell the world that I was willing to do this publicly for Him and making a statement to all that I would now have eternal life.  Since my baptism, I have spent my whole life with an inner desire to share God’s love for all people, and, to do this, God has given me the gift of writing. 

So … recently a dear friend of mine invited me to her baptism.  I could tell she was excited and thrilled at making this decision, and I was thrilled and excited for her, and blessed and honored to be invited to attend this beautiful event.  It was wonderful to see her excitement and love for the Lord and her willingness to make this very public statement.  This dear friend is very beautiful and very much pulled together, and I’m sure the thought crossed her mind as to what she will surely look like coming out of the water.  I, however, saw a beautiful soul that just made a very public declaration of her deep love for God and sealed the assurance that she would have eternal life with our Heavenly Father.  And, yes, I did get teary!!!

Following her baptism, I was inspired to write the above poem, entitled “Immersion in the Water.”   May we all give some thought to baptism, putting aside any fears we may have of going under water with everyone watching, knowing that truly it is a beautiful experience that cleanses us of all sin.  It demonstrates our love and belief in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, knowing we’ll now walk that narrow path that leads to eternity based on this one decision … turning our life and trust over to Jesus … thankful that He came to earth and died for our sin and who also experienced the beauty of “immersion in the water” and sharing with us to do likewise!

For Christian Inspiration, please check out my book:  “The Fingers of God” available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or through this website.

For daily inspiration, please follow my Author’s Facebook Page:    Lisa Michele Neu

Background photo to the poem is by Vishal Banik on Unsplash.