Let Her Come: Bree's Baptism Story

In my life I haven't experienced a lot of crystal clear answers when I have prayed about something. More often than not, I feel quiet whispers of 'this is probably the way to go' but rarely do I hear "GO."

This past summer, we attended a baptism celebration at our church. Afterward, Bree had all kinds of questions about what it was, why we do it, and what it all means. More importantly, she wanted to know if she could do it. We answered her questions as they came, but we didn't bring it up again when it seemed to stop coming up. We wanted to wait until she was older, though we didn't tell her that at the time.

A couple months ago, she started asking again. We knew we had to take her seriously because we felt it could hurt her to think her faith didn't matter because she's young. So we decided to have her meet with a staff member at church, who we love and trust. She sat down with her and talked about baptism and the Gospel and Jesus.

Afterward, we spoke with the woman, and she confirmed what we were thinking. Bree obviously loves Jesus but doesn't quite have the vocabulary to really explain a lot of the "big questions" so she agreed (with Brent and I) that waiting is never a bad idea, but that it was our decision and the church would support us, either way. We had been thinking the same thing. She's really young. Let's wait. Give her time. ETC.

We told Bree our decision, and she was really upset. We told her to pray about it, and if she wanted us to reconsider, we could sit down with her again and talk to her about it. She wanted us to reconsider.

For weeks I prayed about it daily. I didn't want to keep her from a beautiful decision, but I still felt like she was too young to make such a big decision. I wrestled with it day in and day out.

On April 8, I was sitting in church during worship asking God to give me an answer. There was a baptism Sunday coming up, and I needed to hear from Him - LIKE NOW, GOD.

I kid you not: our pastor walked out onto the stage and had us open to Mark 10:13-16, and he began to read.

"People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them."

Okay, God, I'm listening... You have my attention.

But then he moved on to Mark 17-31, and I am serious -- I have NO IDEA how that verse was related AT ALL to the rest of the sermon. It felt like God was speaking only to me. Like He had His hands on my face, looking me straight in the eyes, saying, "LET HER COME."

I haven't felt such a clear answer in a long time.

So Brent and I sat down with Bree after church and talked with her again. We asked her why she wanted to get baptized. We asked her to share the Gospel with us, and tell us about Jesus. Then I told her about how I had been praying and about how I felt God speaking to me at church through that story. And we told her it was her decision. And she just lit up. I mean, pure joy.

We know she loves Jesus. There isn't a doubt in our minds about that. She has since she was three. She tells everyone about Him. And she may not understand everything about her faith or about Jesus or about her relationship with Him, but who does? Whether you are seven or fifty-seven, do we ever really understand everything about Jesus and His love for us?

But she will learn, and we will teach her. And her growth won't make her decision any less real because she was young. If anything, I hope it shows her that you don't have to be a grown-up to get it. It's not an adult-only club. Jesus made that very clear: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them."

Since making the decision, she has already started changing lives. I have had multiple people tell me that she shared her decision with them and now they are having their own discussions in their families about baptism.

She was baptized on April 22nd, and I cried throughout the whole service. I didn't think it would be that emotional, but it was. I was just so overjoyed. I know God has something truly special planned for her life. I look at her, and I feel like I see a tiny-Abby-Heskett (And if you know who Abby Heskett is, you know that's a major compliment!), and I can't wait to see how God uses her life.

150 Gel Pens

AKA: My Fitness Journey

I really only had a vague plan when I started. After three kids, I was ready to lose all the baby weight. I had kept about an extra 5 pounds with each kid. I had never cared too much before because I knew I would just get pregnant again. So, why waste my time? (Not the right attitude, I know, but that's how I felt honestly). When we decided Elliot was our last, I thought, 'Alright. Time to get to work.'

But if you had asked me a year ago if I thought I'd be here now: Not. A. Chance.

See, I'm not new to the fitness world. I've tried it all. All the fads. Joining gyms. Taking classes. But I never stuck with anything longer than a month or so. Nothing seemed to fit.

And I don't know why God, all of the sudden, blessed me with self-discipline of steel after struggling with it for 31 years. But it started with reading my Bible. I got a set of 150 gel pens in the mail from my sister for my birthday last year. I had no idea what to do with them. What can you possibly do with 150 gel pens???

So I decided to try reading my Bible and doodling verses each day. And after a month, I will still doing it. Every day! (I know, I was shocked!).

So I thought -- if I can read my Bible every day, surely I can do a workout every day. A friend had been telling me about Tone It Up, and she invited me to do a workout challenge. So I did it. And I loved it!

So what does my fitness life look like? It's honestly probably the laziest fitness life you can imagine. Don't picture me hitting the gym every morning at 5am. That's not me. It works for other people, but not me.

I try to work out once a day. Sometimes it's 10 minutes. Sometimes it's 45. I watch TIU videos on YouTube (I am hoping to get their new App for my birthday! ... Subtle Message ... ahem ... Brent ... Mom ... Anyone?). I may do an arm video, legs, abs, HIIT, or booty. I may combine a couple. I may get an hour on an elliptical at the gym. I may get a class at the Y with friends (hooray for BodyPump girls and Plank Challenges!). I may swim a couple laps with the kids at the pool.

Every.Day.Is.Different.

So I have changed. A lot. And I don't know why God gave me this push or these desires ... but He did. And I feel good. And I feel strong. But I also feel balanced -- and when I don't feel balanced, I feel that too and I course-correct. There are definitely things I need to be careful of. I need to maintain my sense of modesty. I need to flee the temptation to become prideful or vain. I have a history of disordered eating, so I need to watch my diet and not try to take advantage of the weight loss and try to crash diet or make unhealthy choices. And I need to make sure my health stays in its place among my priorities. It should never be more important than my time with God, my family, or my calling. It's important, for sure, but not that important.

So I have a support system. I have key people in place that will tell me if I begin to slide into one of those temptations. And I humble myself to their wisdom, and I adjust. It's not easy, and sometimes it doesn't feel good to hear, but it keeps me safe and keeps my focus on what it should be on. I know they love me. And I know they just want what is best for me. Accountability is important.

Why share all this? It's not to promote myself or my TIU "program" because you don't have to do what I did. There's nothing special about my journey that can't be replicated by anyone else. It's going to look different, but that's the point. It should look different. It should suit you and be best for you. Maybe it's taking a walk everyday or doing 20 push-ups every morning or jumping on the trampoline with your kids instead of just watching from the sidelines. All it takes is little changes and time. That's what I did, and that's what I do. And you can definitely do it too. And I would love to chat about it if you have any questions!