Spiritual Imprinting
We stand out at the lake, under the heavy heat of the sun in early fall, my hands upon her shoulders, other members of our church on our right and left. Abby’s attention is closely riveted on the boy standing directly in front of her grandpa in the water. It’s obvious that she is processing this affair intently. At any regular interval of the day, she can hardly stand still for two seconds together, but now she is frozen in space and time, completely fascinated by the scene before her eyes.
Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? I do.
Do you believe He died, was buried, and rose again on the third day? I do.
Then by your confession and at His command,
I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We applaud and cheer as the young man is submerged in the water for a second and then brought to standing again; then we bow our heads while my dad prays over him, dedicating his new walk, his new life, his new faith to the Lord. Abby, however, is still staring, unabashed, at the young man in the lake. Though my head is bowed in respect of the prayer, I am glued to her immersed attention into this powerful moment. I can’t help but smile at the fact that she is witnessing the dedication of this young boy to the Lord. I see my own life flash before my eyes as I watch my daughter’s captivation of this significant event in someone else's spiritual journey, and I find myself suddenly praising Him that I, like she, was born into a family of believers and that I had the privilege of knowing Him throughout my life, witnessing fellow believers testify to their belief in Jesus just as this young boy does now. I am glad she is witnessing him find true life by losing his life in Him.
And though she doesn’t know what it all means yet and she is still linking pieces of the puzzle together, she bears witness to it, and it will undoubtedly leave an indelible impression upon her psyche, a spiritual imprinting; the same legacy is being passed on to her that was passed on to me. Christianity, a whole-hearted pursuit of Christ, will be as much a part of her life as eating and drinking and being, and my heart treasures this moment.
Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? I do.
Do you believe He died, was buried, and rose again on the third day? I do.
Then by your confession and at His command,
I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We applaud and cheer as the young man is submerged in the water for a second and then brought to standing again; then we bow our heads while my dad prays over him, dedicating his new walk, his new life, his new faith to the Lord. Abby, however, is still staring, unabashed, at the young man in the lake. Though my head is bowed in respect of the prayer, I am glued to her immersed attention into this powerful moment. I can’t help but smile at the fact that she is witnessing the dedication of this young boy to the Lord. I see my own life flash before my eyes as I watch my daughter’s captivation of this significant event in someone else's spiritual journey, and I find myself suddenly praising Him that I, like she, was born into a family of believers and that I had the privilege of knowing Him throughout my life, witnessing fellow believers testify to their belief in Jesus just as this young boy does now. I am glad she is witnessing him find true life by losing his life in Him.
And though she doesn’t know what it all means yet and she is still linking pieces of the puzzle together, she bears witness to it, and it will undoubtedly leave an indelible impression upon her psyche, a spiritual imprinting; the same legacy is being passed on to her that was passed on to me. Christianity, a whole-hearted pursuit of Christ, will be as much a part of her life as eating and drinking and being, and my heart treasures this moment.
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