A Father’s Love

Every time I see this one picture of my husband holding our daughter,

I feel closer to God.

One of the things we love about our church is how foundational it is in supporting families. I remember vividly one day at church when our kids were little and in their own Sunday classes. Pastor Scott spoke on the opportunity parents have to shepherd their children.

He reminded us that we have more time and influence as parents than youth leaders and teachers. We went through a powerful parenting series. It equipped us to teach our kids how much God loved them and how we could grow strong relationships with each one.

One idea that we could not let go of was how they encouraged fathers to be the ones to baptize their children. Little did we know that God would be paving the way for this to happen in our family.

The act of Baptism is being lowered into the water, signifying the old life of darkness dying, and being raised out of the water, signifying the new life of light and freedom in Jesus Christ.

The day I had been praying for finally arrived. Minutes before stepping into the baptism pool, Pastor Kirk talked to Matthew and Makayla. He reminded Makayla that it was incredibly unique that her dad was the one who would be in the water as he would coach Matthew from the side. Pastor Kirk shared with Makayla beautifully the meaning of Baptism. He explained how the Holy Spirit would be with her from this day forward.

“As you grow, God will use you to encourage other people. If you are willing, He will speak through you. You might never know why He has you say something specific to someone. But one day in Heaven, you will. Someone will describe how that message changed their lives. So be attentive and open to that.”

As my husband and daughter walked toward the baptism pool, I gave our oldest son the camera. I then went to the other side to record it on my phone. One thing you need to know is that a few years before, Makayla and I were the ones to witness both of her brothers get baptized by no one other than their dad!

Even though she wanted to, we took Pastor Scott’s discernment of letting Makayla wait until she was a little older.

Have you ever been told that? Whenever it seems that God says, “Wait,” it takes everything in me to accept that answer. Right?!

One of the many attributes I admire in Makayla is her patience. As the youngest, she’s had many opportunities to build this virtue. She is extremely bright and mature. It took faith and patience of my own to accept the answer, “Not Yet,” and trust in God’s Perfect Timing.

“No problem, I thought. It’ll probably be just another year.”

Then 2020 happened. Then all the churches shut down. Amid the global pandemic and the most tragic and trying times for many people, she starts to get second thoughts.

“I don’t want to get baptized while we still have to wear masks.”

At the time, places were opening back up, but here in California, the mask mandate was still in full force. Meanwhile, I kept getting little nudges from the Holy Spirit (the one who counsels) to encourage the idea of it being a possibility once restrictions were lifted.

Remember how God told us to wait so Makayla could mature in wisdom? Pastor Scott gave us the example of when his oldest daughter was baptized. His younger twin boys said they wanted to also. He and his wife thought they needed to be a little older and more mature. They explained this to them, but the boys were not happy about the decision. He said the way they responded to being told to wait by moping around and acting out confirmed they had made the wisest choice.

When the Promise is Fulfilled

Once Matthew and Makayla were standing in the middle of the pool, Pastor Kirk prompted Matthew to say a few words.

“Your mom and I and your brothers love you so much. We love you with all the love that you have in your heart. I know sometimes your brothers can be a little frustrating (she smiles, and we laugh), but that is why it’s so important to have Christ’s love. God’s love is for all of us. Even Mom and I, and your grandparents, we don’t always make the best decisions. Sometimes God lets us go through it. But we try. God loves us no matter what. Jesus loves us. Sometimes we struggle, and God gets us through it. And in the end, we will realize something we learned along the way. And we are so excited about that. (I could hear the inflection of his voice change as they smiled at each other.)

Three Simple Questions

Dad: “So I have three questions for you. The first one is, “Do you believe you are a sinner and just on our own there is nothing we can do to rescue ourselves?”

Makayla- “I do believe we are sinners because nobody is perfect. And we only are the amazing people that we are because of God and what he does for us.”

Dad- “She practiced- wow!”
Pastor- “Yeah- so good!”

The second one is: “Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins? That through his own love and passion for us, he rescued us and made a way to be one with God and our salvation?”

Makayla- “I do believe he died on the cross. Humans aren’t perfect but God is a redeemer. He died on the cross for us. Even though we aren’t perfect, we aren’t horrible which is good.”

Dad- (Touches his heart as they both smile) And the last question is: “Do you accept God and Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” Smiles as she looks up to her dad and says, yes.

Dad- Touches his heart and says, “Then I have the distinguished -voice cracks- pleasure to baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.” He dips her in the water and as she comes up he tells her, “So going down into the water is the death of sin and being raised up out of the water is to a new life.”

*** I transcribed what I could hear from the video recording. There was a gentle breeze and the sound of trickling water from the beautiful outdoor baptism pool.

So What Do You Think?

Would you agree that this picture symbolizes the love that God has for His children?

It reminds me of how much He loves us. His love is real. His love is pure.

His love is relentless. His love is everlasting.

I would love to hear how God is showing up in your life! Let me know in the comments below! 🙂

Eva Penner

Eva finds ways to encourage and inspire moms who deal with brain fog and constant overwhelm. Through faith-based personal development, she learned how to surrender her anxious mindset to God and now shares her journey as a Wife, Mother, Blogger, and Covenant Life Coach. She is married to her best friend, the love of a lifetime! They have three amazing kids and a young golden retriever who teach them how to live life in the only way a teen girl, two teen boys, and a rambunctious dog could! She shares her method of living based on Isaiah 40:31 which she calls S.O.A.R.I.N.G. As a Mindset Coach, she specializes in helping moms overcome overwhelm and recognize what’s been holding them back so they can get back up, make new choices, and live with a new sense of purpose and joy in life!