It's been exactly a year since my baptism. I can't believe that one year has already passed. It felt like such a short amount of time. It's weird, because I don't really know what to write about. So I think I'm going to talk about my testimony. How I came to know Christ. Basically the events leading up to my baptism.
It was my sophomore year of high school and I don't think I exactly knew what I was doing with my life. I was kind of wandering around, trying to fit in like everyone else. I was going with the flow, but had no sense of direction. At least that's what it seems like now. Then I met this girl named D'Erika and I have a lot to thank her for. She's been my rock these couple of years I've known her. She went out of her way to invite me to Phoenix one day; though I think I kind of rejected her the first time. I believe I said "maybe," or "I'll try to come." But in my head I know I said that because I didn't want to be mean and say no. The reason I didn't want to go was mainly because I was really shy. I didn't even know D'Erika that well, so I thought it would be awkward. Not awkward because of the religious factor, but because of the social factor. Believe it or not, I used to be really shy. My friends who know me now, would completely object, but it's true. I always felt weird around people I didn't know. And I especially hated being in environments where I felt like a stranger. I was kind of a loser back then, now that I think about it. Thank God I'm so much cooler now. Well, that's debatable. So yes, I did end up going after a few weeks. I finally said, "what the heck, there's nothing to lose" and just went. I vividly remember my first experience at Phoenix. Pastor Matt high fived me, and looked so excited to see me there. D'Erika introduced me to her friends and they openly greeted me. I had never experienced something like that before. It was refreshing and frankly amazing to me. That's actually what brought me back the next week. At my old church I didn't really fit in. I know that sounds weird, but I felt like a stranger. And that was the most terrifying and dreadful feeling to me. And it was because of that feeling that I grew further and further apart from the church and my youth ministry. Sometimes I would skip the services, and just wander around the church waiting for my parents to finish their service. So you could say, for a long time I was lost. I read my Bible on Sundays and prayed every night but that was it. Nothing more. It was a routine more than anything. That burning desire to seek God was non existent.
I've realized that the reason I couldn't grow as a Christian was because I didn't have a solid church family to guide me and push me in the right direction. Of course my old church was great, but it wasn't great for me. I used to think that it was myself who was messed up for not fitting in, but I realized that there is just a different church for everyone. I'm just glad that God used D'Erika to bring me into the Fair Oaks family. After a few months of Phoenix, I was baptized at Fair Oaks and a few months after that, I was a member faithfully serving every Sunday. And that's how this goes back to my baptism. It's been a year since my public declaration that I was a follower of Christ. I declared that I would follow him all the days of my life. And even after a year, I still promise to follow that. It's been a bumpy past year at times, but this day just reminded me of the promise I've made to God, and how important it is to keep it. Lately it has been hard to follow him with all of the distractions and stress going in my life. But I think that this stress has led up to this day, so that I can realize the joy I felt when I got baptized. I remember how happy and fulfilled I felt exactly one year ago. That's when I was continually seeking God, and setting my eyes on him and him only. Looking back, just reminds me how much more I should be doing to glorify God. I need to keep growing and growing, because I've come too far to go back to the way I used to be: lost and without Jesus.
