My Testimony

Part5This relationship is current and that time until now, I have been spiritually stable. The growth I made at that point was a sort of leap which is no round-trip. I cannot go backwards from where I left off. However there was one more less-important thing remaining which I felt compelled to act upon, and it was indeed received as a feeling of being compelled. Referring again to baptism in the New Testament, I knew from which teaching that I needed to be Baptized. I think my fear in doing so was caused by the dread of the steps I would take to commit. It was something that I had to do on my own, for myself, but was completely and pointedly public. Those are not a good combination of things when compiled also with my personality type. It is not my fear of public appearance, but the fact that I had to facilitate this for myself and for the good of myself that procrastinated taking action. As a result, I waited. I suppose I had the hope that somehow the opportunity would present itself to me. Either that was the case, or whenever the situation was brought up I would find a reason to avoid it. I prayed about it quite a bit and it was so silly that I made the effort to evade it, but it was another six years before I confronted myself with actually making the decision to be baptized. The opportunity was almost presented to me actually as we returned from an out-of-country mission’s trip. Many others had expressed the interest in being publicly proclaimed as Christ-followers and so my youth pastor organized a miniscule preparation class. I joined in and was baptized the following week in the local Palo Lake. I was not nervous at all, and I actually ended up being glad that it happened to be later rather than sooner that I made the representative action. I really enjoyed the process and it was actually meaningful and although it was comfortable, it was still very symbolic with a little bit of anxious mixed in.

Since then, I have had only one situation where I have felt betrayed by God. That experience made me even more spiritually sound and I know without doubt that there is nothing which could deviate me from the Holy Spirit for the rest of my immortal life. I live daily to worship my Heavenly father in every aspect of my life. I continue in my practice of falling completely in love with my maker. The area I struggle the most in, is being a disciple of Christ. We are called to be fisher’s of men, and I know that full well. I know that this is second to loving the Lord my God with all my heart.