When I was a baby, I was “Christened.”  Only my mother and I were there.  So, when I accepted Christ as my “Savior,” I didn’t want to be baptized.  After all, I had been “Christened,” and that was enough for me.  However, as I progressed further and further in my Christian life, I became more and more uncomfortable with that position.

In “Choosing Life” I described a time in my life when I struggled to get free from spiritual bondage.  I was desperate to be free.  I learned that one of the keys to being free is the “O” word: Obedience.  Obedience was not my first choice.  As a “survivor,” it was critical to be in control.  Of everything.  I wanted to chose when and where I was going to be obedient.  Sometimes God’s Word was easy to accept, and sometimes it was not.  All this talk about forgiveness, for instance, bothered me.

Sometimes I felt an impression that God wanted me to do something very specific.  If I didn’t want to do that, I would come up with another plan, another way to do something else that would please Him.  Let me tell you, that never works.  Let me tell you that God can and will wait you out.  Sooner or later, it will always come back to that thing I didn’t want to do.  I finally learned to just give in and do it right away.  Most of the time, anyway.

That is why I ended up in a white robe, up to my waist in water, standing before the whole church.  My friend, Pastor Hector, asked if I wanted to say anything to the congregation.  Of course, I did.  I said, “I have been a Christian for over 20 years.  It has taken me that long to learn the importance of obedience.”  Laughter from the church members.  And then it was over and I was climbing the stairs out of the baptismal pool.  Applause from the church members.  But in my heart, I knew God was pleased.