Hello all!
I am currently in Nsoko, Swaziland! It is absolutely beautiful here. In our ministry location, there are mountains surrounding us, and just on the other side of one of the mountains is South Africa. All of this feels so surreal. (Pictures to come…eventually!)
Something the Lord has been teaching me specifically over the past few weeks is how to listen to Him. Often times, when I do hear the Lord tell me something or get a feeling from Him, I wait for further instruction, instead of following Him in trust.
Last week at debrief in Nelspruit, South Africa, God gave me another chance. (Because He’s awesome and does that. A lot.) Our squad was in the middle of worship and I felt the Lord telling me, “Now is the time to get baptized.” A few little preface points to this story: 1) I was baptized once before as a baby, but since starting college, I have wanted to get baptized but the timing never felt right. 2) During that day, I think the Lord used a lot of great conversations and moments from the day to give me a new sense of hope.
Okay! Back to Nelspruit. Real quick: I want to clarify that I did not hear a booming voice in my head that said, “Baileigh, it’s time to go for a spiritual swim.” But it was more like something I knew was right in that moment. So naturally, I decided I would take this thought and journal about it, pray more about it, and plan what my baptism would look like. Then almost immediately, Megan – my squad mentor – spoke the passage Jeremiah 18:1-3. It says, “The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Arise and go down to the potter’s home and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house…” Lol okay God, I got you. These verses not only struck a chord in this moment, but reminded me of how often I take a sufficient helping of what the Lord says, look it over, and then go back to Him demanding more. So I decided that I would get baptized as soon as we finished up with session.
Then it started to rain.
(Not to mention it was already dark and I had the worry in my head that the pool might be closed.)
In that moment I thought, “Okay God, should I go for it or should we just call it a night?” But despite my fears, His message never changed. I asked my friend, Becky, if she would baptize me and sure enough, after session, my squad surrounded the pool at our hostel and witnessed me declare the new life and hope I had in Jesus Christ and celebrated with me. It was one of the most incredible moments I have ever experienced.
Walking in faith and obedience toward what the Lord had for me that night was just the thing I needed to solidify the new life I have desired for so long with Him. Life where my aim should be to first seek Jesus above all else – not what He has to offer for me or any other benefits we hope to reap from a life saved by Jesus Christ. The funny thing is though, is that He has been waiting for me all along and all I needed to do was step out of my “perfectly planned” comfort zone and trust that God’s will for my life is more perfect than anything I could ever even attempt to plan.
With love,
Baileigh
