I’ll take what’s behind door #3!

Do you remember all those old game shows? A contestant would finally make it to the last round of the show and would stand there, a nervous wreck, jumping up and down, trying to decide whether to choose door #1, door #2, or door #3. Which one has the car? Which is the European vacation? Which is a new living room complete with a pool table? The thing is, no matter what the curtain or door revealed, it was good. The prize was fun, extravagant, and nearly always something the contestant wanted. And it was usually something they could not have afforded on their own.

Yesterday I was talking with a friend about baptism. Her son is hesitant, not sure how much of Christianity he believes. I asked, does he believe in Jesus? If the answer is yes, it should be simple. Baptism isn’t like a final exam, something you do to prove your knowledge. You don’t need to have experience, you don’t need to study, you don’t need to prove you’ve reached a certain level or that you’re worthy. You just have to get to the point where you’re standing in front of the doors wanting to know what He has in store for you. You have no idea what’s behind the doors, but you trust that He wouldn’t offer you something bad. You may be a little scared. It might not be exactly the same as what your friend found. It might be safe, or it might be a little risky. But you understand that until the door is opened, you won’t know for sure what it is, how it makes you feel, or how it will change your life. You just know that it will be good. So take a deep breath and pick one. Because opening that door is the only way to know what is waiting for you. Your very own, personal, made-just-for-you grand prize.

transformed

She was radiant. I always thought my friend was beautiful, not just on the inside but on the outside, too. But she didn’t think so. Today, you could tell she felt pretty. She felt good. At church she was the center of attention and everyone was lavishing genuine compliments on her. Although she’s never cared much about clothes, she tried something new. A friend helped her select several new outfits, and you could see a world of difference in the way she carried herself. She was transformed. It was all about feeling good in what she had on.

As Christians, we are robed in salvation. When we were baptized, we were dressed in heavenly robes. If we truly understood this, we wouldn’t mope around. We wouldn’t feel unattractive, uninteresting, or all alone. We would carry ourselves completely differently, heads held high, knowing that the robes we wear allow our inner beauty to shine forth. We may have been fairly pretty – or above-average handsome – before, but it’s not until we realize how much those garments do for us that we really shine.