Ben's Baptism

Some of the best moments between Ben and I seem to occur while I am driving him around.  He seems to open up more in the car, and I've found that I can talk to him about pretty much anything as long as we are in the car.  Once we hit our destination, all bets are off.


A couple of weeks ago, while driving home from my parents' house, Ben started talking about a book that another girl in his class brought to school called Heaven is for Real (by Todd Burpo).  He described the book's contents to me-a true story of how a 4 year old little boy saw Heaven during life-saving surgery.  He then exclaimed, "Heaven is real, Mom!"  I told him that I knew it was, and told him what I know about Heaven from reading the Bible.  We talked about Christianity and baptism, and I told him that when he thought he was ready, he should let us know.  To my surprise, he said, "I'm ready now.  Can we do it this week?"


As happy as I was that he wanted to get baptized, I was so nervous that he was doing it to please me-that he didn't really understand what it all meant.  Lucky for me, my church offers a class for kids that are interested in becoming a Christian.  They provide a booklet that explains what it means to be a Christian, and why it is important to get baptized.


On Easter Sunday, Ben stepped forward in front of our church to say that he believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  After the service, he was baptized for the forgiveness of his sins (by Mark).  It was such an awesome experience as a parent; Mark and I are so proud of who he is becoming as he matures.  

Ben, 
From the time you were born, you have made me want to become a better person.  I knew that someday I would have to answer some tough questions from you about God, so Daddy and I began going to church to learn more about Christianity.  We took you with us, of course, but never really knew if anything was sinking in or not.  That could be because you used to draw vampires (with breasts) during Sunday school, but I digress...


You are starting to talk and act a bit "grown up," which is a little scary for me.  I am surprised by the things you know and are exposed to on a daily basis; that is the reason I want you to know God at a young age.  I was raised in church and knew about God at a young age, but I don't think I understood how much God loves me and wants a relationship with me-until I had you.  I seemed to only focus on His judgement of my sin and how I was disappointing Him-every day.  I never understood God as my Father, I only thought of Him as my judge.  I hope you will learn about his love now, not when you're 30 years old.  I want you to understand that you will never be perfect, but you are so important to God.  I want you to feel more secure in who you are, so you don't make the same mistakes I made when I was a teenager.  


We are so proud of you for your decision & know it's only the beginning of a lifetime of trying to understand the Bible and live a Christian life.  It's not easy!  Our promise to you is that we love you and will be here any time you want to talk or have a question. 

 Love,
Mom & Dad 


P.S.  You can stop growing up now!!!!!!