"Why I decided to get baptized" - My Mayne Wardrobe
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“Why I decided to get baptized”

“Why I decided to get baptized”

I just celebrated 1 year since I was saved and decided to live my life like Christ. God is such a big part of my life and drives everything I do. So I decided to share with you guys why I decided to get baptized and take you through my journey of how I became the person I am today.
The word Christianity gets thrown around a lot. People claim they believe in God and that all it takes to receive salvation one day is believe in God or ask for forgiveness of the multitude of sins we committed and we will be automatically absolved of everything. And we continue to sin after the fact. I’m here to tell you, I was one of those people.
Why I decided to get baptized
I grew up in an Episcopal Church.  I sang in the choir, was an Acolyte, a Lector(reader) in church and was baptized when I was a baby. I was part of our youth group and attended lock-ins and participated in various activities. Not to mention I was confirmed when I was 13!!! So I’m thinking, I’m good!!! I have a one-way ticket to heaven and will receive all of God’s mercies and salvation. Boy, was I wrong!!!
Although I attended church, I never picked up the bible couldn’t even quote a bible verse.  And prayer? Ha. The only time I reached out to God was when times were really tough and I felt hopeless and lost in a situation, but never turned to him any other time. My actual attendance to church became less and less. I would only attend during the holiday season Christmas and Easter. As I entered adulthood I struggled constantly with inward sin.
Why I decided to get baptized
I was always angry and had a very strained relationship with my mother. At times I was disrespectful to her and over the years built up a lot of resentment and anger against her. With all that heaviness in my heart, I brought it into my marriage. I was always hostile towards my husband and you want to talk about nagging!?! I was the epitome of a nagging wife. Just couldn’t let things go!!!
 Another huge sin I struggled with was greed. All I could think about was the next big thing or the next item I could buy. I was working 24-7 to supply my greed, only cared about money and getting ahead to further myself in my career. New clothes, vacations, things etc. I lived by the work hard play hard mentality and ended up in debt!! I never seemed to be content with anything!!!
Why I decided to get baptized
The year of 2015 was a huge transition in our lives. We ended up moving from Maryland to Houston Texas. Did I ever dream of being in Texas? No. I never had a desire to want to visit or move to the south. It was not on our radar. Maryland was all I could see in my future. We had no family or friends in this area.  But God is always in control of our lives. Sometimes the path he has laid out for us is not always the path that we want, but in order to fully fulfill God’s plan, we must obey, even if it is out of our comfort zones or completely radical.
Why I decided to get baptized
Later that year in October,  my husband was fishing at Lake Houston and was met by a brother in the church and invited us to a service in the park.  I’ll never forget when my husband came home and asked if I wanted to go. My first reaction was who has service in a park? That is so weird. What kind of people are they??? I was accustomed to attending church in a building with an altar, pews, and an organ!! At that time something in my spirit was like go and see what it is like. When we went everybody was so nice, loving, and warm. A couple who was there lived close by to us and because we were new to the state, we exchanged phone numbers. They were soo nice. They took us out for the day to see different parts of Houston,  invited us to their home and cooked dinner, and invited us to Church. We barely knew them and they treated us as if we were friends for years!!!
Why I decided to get baptized
Never in my life was I surrounded by so many people who were full of nothing but love and joy.  I realized this is what disciples look like. Every aspect of their life was about living a life like Jesus Christ and obeying God and a couple of weeks later when a sister asked me if I would like to study the bible, I gladly said yes.
I studied the bible with 3 other sisters and after weeks of studying chose to be baptized. Because I wanted to change my life and I wanted a deeper understanding of the bible and a relationship with God. I was tired of being angry, resentful,  materialistic, and greedy. I did not want to live in darkness any longer.  The sacrifice that Jesus went through for us is so humbling and puts everything in perspective in my life. That is why I decided to be saved and live a life of Christ.
Luke 9:23-24 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”
Why I decided to get baptized
Photography by: Floyd Mayne
At this time I had gotten into a huge argument with my mother and we had not spoken for 6 weeks, because the prideful person that I was at the time, I was not going to apologize first. Instead of feeling good, I felt awful, miserable. 32 years of feeling this way and no difference in the outcome. On the outside, I was pretty good at keeping it together, but below the surface, I was floundering, empty, and constantly battling inner turmoil. I finally cried out to God asking for guidance while I was driving on my way to work, never will forget it. The next day I received a package from my mother with a letter and 2 devotionals about forgiveness. I was shocked! That was my sign that I knew God has my back and he is always listening. The emptiness and pain I was experiencing the only thing that could relieve that was God.
March 6, was the happiest day of my life. It was the day of my baptism, my rebirth and never wanting to look back at my old life. It was the day I decided to make Jesus authority over my life.
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Is it easy? No way!!! It is a constant battle daily with my sinful nature, but 2 verses that aides me in my Christian walk is:
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.”
Philppians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
The heart drives everything that I do and is the source of my spirit. If I allow distractions and sin to infiltrate my heart, I will return to darkness and stray from God’s path. The verse from Philippians I actually have in my Instagram Bio as a reminder that in everything I do is through God and for God and if it does not line up, I have no business being involved. My life has made a drastic change for the better. I view things differently knowing I can always lean on God for support. I have such peace and my interactions with my husband and my mother have improved. I am completely filled with God’s love and my faith is strong because of daily prayer and the word. My life would be a hot mess if I did not make the decision I made a year ago.  There is no looking back and no regrets!!
-Janel
28 Comments
  • Modi K
    Posted at 00:23h, 14 March

    What an Authentic testimony! May God continue to lead your steps. Peace.

    • Janel
      Posted at 03:03h, 14 March

      Thank you so much girl for checking it out. Yes, I cannot wait to see where God leads me.

  • Thea
    Posted at 03:33h, 14 March

    Awesome! Your testimony is very moving. May GOD continue to move mightily in you and through you!

    • Janel
      Posted at 03:53h, 14 March

      Thank you Thea. I am very excited to see what God has planned for me and learn to listen to listen to my spirit as he moves through me.

  • Taylor Aube
    Posted at 13:39h, 14 March

    This is so special and you look beautiful in these pics. Wishing you the best <3
    http://stopdropandvogue.com

    • Janel
      Posted at 17:33h, 14 March

      Thank you!! It really is a special day I keep close to my heart. Thank you for your kind words.

  • Nicole Raithel
    Posted at 13:51h, 14 March

    This is a beautiful story that brought tears to my eyes! Congrats on your “new life”. Phillipians 4:13 is my life verse too! Thanks for sharing your testimony!

    • Janel
      Posted at 17:32h, 14 March

      Thank you for taking the time to read it. I appreciate your kind words. Yes, Phillippians 4 has gotten me through some rocky times.

  • Monika
    Posted at 14:01h, 14 March

    Great read! Thanks for sharing!

    • Janel
      Posted at 17:30h, 14 March

      Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Glad you enjoyed.

  • chuky1958
    Posted at 15:35h, 14 March

    This is a very inspirational journey!

    • Janel
      Posted at 17:29h, 14 March

      Thank you. I really wanted to share this story with my readers. Hopefully, it will inspire or encourages someone.

  • laura mitbrodt
    Posted at 15:43h, 14 March

    Your dress is so pretty, I love the boho snake print
    xo
    http://www.laurajaneatelier.com

    • Janel
      Posted at 17:26h, 14 March

      Thanks. This dress is so old too but has held well over time. That is exactly why I got it for the snake print.

  • Emily
    Posted at 15:44h, 14 March

    I loved this post! Thank you for being bold and sharing your story!

    Emily
    http://www.withstyleandgrace.net/2017/03/spring-layers.html?m=1

    • Janel
      Posted at 17:25h, 14 March

      I am so glad you liked it. I felt like I needed to share my story as being a new disciple. Thank You for your kind words.

  • Leah Lowe
    Posted at 17:12h, 14 March

    Great post! Love your over piece as well, such a pretty color!

    x – Leah
    http://www.ellemaebloom.com

    • Janel
      Posted at 17:23h, 14 March

      Thank you so much. I really love this dress because of the color.

  • Shanette
    Posted at 04:08h, 01 April

    Great blog and great testimony of how the love of God can heal and transform us!

    • Janel
      Posted at 15:12h, 01 April

      Thank you Shanette!! I am so glad you liked it. I felt like needed to share my story with others in hopes of encouraging other women!!!

  • Therese
    Posted at 22:26h, 01 April

    Awesome Janel! Thank you for your bravery in sharing.

    • Janel
      Posted at 00:46h, 02 April

      Thanks sis!!! I felt like I had to share. Thank you for checking out my blog!! I really appreciate it.

  • Joelle
    Posted at 15:35h, 04 April

    It is never to late to turn to Jesus! So happy for you and your new life. Prayers and blessings!

    • Janel
      Posted at 22:38h, 04 April

      It has been such a challenging, but wonderful journey thus far!!! Can’t wait to see what God has in store for me in the future!!

  • amandalutzfledglingblog
    Posted at 20:51h, 23 April

    This is so amazing! Love how raw and authentic this is and that you have experienced such a radical change as you have given your life to Christ. I have a similar story and reading others’ experiences always makes me amazed again at how good He is!

    • Janel
      Posted at 01:51h, 25 April

      Thank you for reading my post!! Yes God is so good and ever since studying the bible and making God apart of my life, I am sooo happy. I am never turning back to darkness.

  • Zabeen Rukhsar
    Posted at 04:56h, 19 May

    A touching and learning post, Indeed, Almighty shows the right path to those who seek it. Warm and best wishes for your new life. Your dress is pretty good and color is catchy.

    • Janel
      Posted at 01:04h, 21 May

      Thank you. God has been so good to me and I will continue to stay on his path.