I just got home from what will presumably be my last World Race event, Project Searchlight (PSL), and my heart his heavy that this chapter of my life is officially over. With the World Race came many difficulties and trials, but I wouldn’t trade a single one of them for the growth, friendships, and memories made along the way.
During PSL the alumni of three squads who had just returned from the field were treated to primarily some amazing food, but also some encouraging and informative sessions/teachings that will be helpful to anyone trying to readjust to life in the United States. Plus we got to see our World Race family after two months of being scattered across the country! It was a fun, encouraging time to say the least, and I daresay everyone finished the week filled with life.
At one point during the week a bottle of water was dumped over my head and I found myself dripping wet. The water was so cold that it consumed me. My posture, my thoughts, and my attitude instantly shifted entirely towards the fact that I was now soaked. At that point anyone who came into contact with me received a certain level of my wetness based on their level of contact. If you’d put a hand on my shoulder, your hand became damp; if you hugged me, your entire side or front became wet.
Suddenly the concept of baptism became clearer to me than ever before. The word “baptism” is the Englishified version of “βαπτ?ζω” or “baptizo” from Ancient Greek, which means to dip or plunge something into liquid and carries the idea of dyeing the object (cuz I’m a nerdy homeschooler from Iowa who just knows things like that). When something is baptizo-ed it is now soaked and, if done to the full extent of the word, changed forever; and everything that comes into contact with the item will likewise take on the new change, be it water or wine or dye.
There’s a reason that in the Great Commission disciples are commanded to be baptizo-ed in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Followers of Christ are to be fully immersed in the God who loves us. Just as when we are dipped head to toe in water, our entire identity, thoughts, and posture are to be consumed in what we’ve been baptized in.
When a bottle of water was dumped onto me, everything about me changed: the first thing people noticed when they saw me was that I was wet. I stood differently to keep my wet clothes from clinging to my body. Every thought and action I took was related to the fact that I was soaked. Is not being immersed in God more powerful than being immersed in water? If we as Christians are immersed in Him, how does that affect what people notice about us? Or how we stand and carry ourselves? Or what our thoughts and hearts dwell on?
My flesh was dripping with water, but my soul is dripping with joy! As a follower of Christ, it’s my prayer that everyone who comes into contact with me becomes affected by what I’ve been baptizo-ed in: the Love of the Father, the Joy of the Spirit, the Blood of Christ!
