Walking Down the Road

It just took walking a few miles, but the benefits were far beyond exercise.  They were eternal.

My friend Sara is a military wife whose husband was injured both physically and emotionally in Iraq.  She shoulders the care of her two kids and her husband.  In her first year of marriage she lost her Dad and had a son while her husband was serving in Iraq.  She's moved numerous times because of her husband's service but Brant Lake is her home.  She is my walking buddy and a reflection of God's handiwork.

The paths we walked haven't been easy for us.  The miles and hills at times wore us down.  We walked and talked and listened.  We shared and laughed and cried.  But Sunday our paths lead to celebrating her baptism.  

There is something deeply spiritual to me about baptism.  It makes me cry every time.  To me it is an amazing choice someone makes to tell the world that they love God.  This one was even more special because I knew the paths that had brought her here.  Because of that, Kevin asked me to be a part of it.

I was asked to say something before we went in the water (yes, we're baptist - we dunk 'em).  Sara is my friend.  She isn't a "mission",  a "convert", or a "ministry".  It has been a joy to see her grow.  Her hunger for wanting to understand God's Word puts me to shame.  How could I say something about it when she has taught me?  

It really comes down to God.  He nudged me to ask if she wanted a walking buddy.  It is God that has healed the hurts she has battled.  It is God who has given her a real hunger for His Word.  It is only God who can take a messy person like me and use me and some roads to get to this point.

So, I celebrate the amazing and indescribable work of God and the baptism of a special friend!