It’s Never Too Late…
Do you ever think, “I’m getting too old for that, or It’s Too late to change that in my life?” Three years ago, through many trepidations, I made the decision to quit my job of 16 years of being a special education teacher. I was 46 years old, still too young to retire, but felt a deep conviction to make a change…but change is so scary.
Let me backup a little more…
Something you need to know about me is that I have always believed in God. But, over the course of my life to come, I questioned Him…many times, wondering “why” during the hard times.
I learned about God by listening to my Grandma verbally praising Him, “thank you merciful Jesus!” or by singing an old hymn called, “I’ll Fly Away.” She had a picture on the wall of The Last Supper, pictured were Jesus sitting at a long table with all of His disciples. She also had a ceramic of praying hands, a collection of religious stickers & bookmarks, and several of Billy Graham’s books.
My mom would record me on the cassette player when I was around three years old teaching me songs like: “This Little Light of Mine,“ and “Jesus Loves the Little Children.”
We didn’t attend church regularly, but I visited churches with friends. I attended an evening service one night with a school friend. I was in the first grade, so I was around seven years old. We had been asked to stand from the pews while the preacher said a prayer, and I remember him saying, “If you feel that you have accepted Jesus into your heart, then step forward and come to the altar as we will pray for you.” That is exactly what I did. I felt Jesus’ presence in my heart that night, but I wasn’t sure I understood this whole process of walking to the altar.
I realized that my friend had stepped out as well that evening. After they prayed for us, we were told that someone would talk with us afterward, I’m guessing because we were so young.
I was asked if I had any questions about baptism, and I said yes. “What do they do to you in baptism?” I asked.
“Well, the pastor will take you up there and lower you into the water to baptize you, but you can hold your nose if you need to,” she explained as she pointed up to the baptistery.
“Go home and talk with your parents about it,” she finished.
Um, nope. I am not doing that! Nobody is going to dunk me under water.
However, I did still go home and asked my Mom about it. Once I heard dunk you under water, I was merely interested in the “how” versus the “why.” I asked my mom, “do they dunk you under water when you get baptized?”
“Yes, they do,” she replied.
I told her that I had walked up to the front of the church because I believed Jesus was in my heart and that I was supposed to get baptized now. She told me that if I was ready, then I could do it. The truth is, I wasn’t ready. Even though I felt Jesus come into my heart, and I believed in Him, I didn’t quite understand enough. And, I was very afraid of the water. But that was not the end of my story, lucky for me.
After that night, although I did not follow through with baptism, Jesus heard and felt my heart, and shielded it for years to come. I was saved.
As I grew up, I still didn’t attend church much. I went to a few lock-ins, and attended a few Sunday school sessions with a friend, but that was about it. I prayed… sometimes. But I also turned my back on God and made some dumb choices in my life.
I made some good choices too.
In the spring of 2012, I was sitting in our church that we had been attending for about a year and a half. The pastor gave his moving sermon, and at the end he began his invitation. I heard his words, “if you have accepted Jesus into your heart, step out and come up to the altar and we will pray with you, or talk to someone after church, or talk to me. The next step is to publicly acknowledge your faith and trust in Jesus Christ by baptism.”
My tears started flowing, and I knew I was ready. I walked over to the pastor as I was crying and explained to him my story of when I was young. He listened while I discerned without hesitation this time, that I was ready to be baptized.
I had been yearning for a while to be baptized, but because of my age, I was embarrassed. I was 42 years old, and feared that people would see me as the middle aged gal who is just now getting baptized. I worried that I would be judged, or people would see me as less than. These were the lies that were being whispered in my ear from the enemy who loves to see us loathe in anxiety, anguish, and fear.
And then the epiphany became clearer…actually, the holy spirit spoke loud and clear, I should say.
Why am I worrying so much about what other people think? If I saw an “older” person getting baptized, it would make me feel so joyful, so happy that they are proclaiming their love for Jesus and displaying it to the world, and that they will have an eternity of joyful, fearless, and painless love. If anything, it’s probably…no…it IS the most profound thing that I could do for myself and for my children. I need them to witness that I love Jesus, so that they will too.
It was the best decision I have ever made in my life, and because of it, I am learning more and more everyday how to rely on Jesus, and not the lies that are whispered to me from time to time.
We are not too “whatever” for the convictions of change God places on our hearts. Whether the change is a job, residence, professional status, or purpose. We are all born with God’s special purpose, and for some of us, all the stuff that happens in between is what prepares us for our purpose. It’s never too late for our purpose!
And friends, you are never too old or young for Jesus!
God bless,
Lisa
Hebrews 3:6-7
